9.19.2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University played two women's soccer matches this past week, and neither contest made it to overtime, a first since August 25.  The Lancers (3-4-3) earned a 1-0 road win at Virginia Military Institute of the Big South Conference on September 18 in Lexington, following a 1-0 home loss to Radford University of the Big South on Sept. 16 in Farmville. Longwood will play two home matches this weekend, hosting another Big South member in Charleston Southern University on Friday, Sept. 23, at the Athletics Complex in Farmville at 4 p.m., and South Carolina State University of the Great West Conference on Sunday, Sept. 25, in Farmville at 2 p.m.  It will be Family Weekend at Longwood this weekend.

Recapping Radford, VMI
Longwood and Radford battled scoreless through the first period to the intermission, and for most of the second period before the Highlanders managed to score in the 79th minute when a loose ball was collected in the box near the left post and slipped to the right corner of the net following a free kick.  The Lancers had almost scored a goal about 15 minutes into the final 45 minutes during a stretch of three-straight shots on-goal within 1:22 of each other that were each saved. The first of the three attempts was the best opportunity as junior captain Lindsey Ottavio|Fairfax (W.T. Woodson) was dribbling to the right across the box and placed her shot to the left post only to be stopped on a diving save in the 61st minute.  Junior keeper Kyra Byron|Richmond (Mills E. Godwin) played the duration in front of the net for the Lancers with five saves, and a team save was registered as well.  Longwood and VMI were also scoreless at the intermission, though the Lancers enjoyed a commanding 13-0 advantage in shots during the opening 45 minutes.  The second half continued much like the first with Longwood keeping possession and controlling the action.  Sophomore Kelsey Pardue|Henrico (Hermitage) finally moved the net in the 66th minute when she was successful on a low shot from about 10 yards to the left corner for the game-winner.  Byron once again played the duration in front of the net for the Lancers with two saves while registering her third shutout this season.

Head Coach Todd Dyer
“Looking back on our 'Big South' weekend, I'd have to say we're encouraged by our performances, but motivated to do even better.  Against Radford, after a scoreless first 45 minutes, we really didn't get going and take the initiative until the second half.  At that point, we were really pushing forward and creating chances, so I felt confident that we would get a positive result.  But Radford was able to weather that storm and went on to scramble for a goal in our penalty area off of a long set piece.  We were disappointed in the outcome, but used that as motivation as we went into Sunday at VMI.

“At VMI, I thought we had one of our best performances of the year in terms of possession, creativity and really dictating the flow and rhythm of the game.  We held the ball well as a team, had plenty of shots on-goal and ultimately we broke through on a tremendous individual effort and finish by Kelsey Pardue.  We limited VMI to only a couple of chances on-goal and finished with a shutout on the road, so I'm very pleased with our work on the defensive side of the ball.  Now, we look forward to a great week of practice as we prepare for upcoming home matches this weekend against Charleston Southern and South Carolina State.”

A Look At Charleston Southern, South Carolina State
Charleston Southern is coached by 16th-year head coach Eric Terrill, and is currently 4-3 after a 2-1 across-town road win at The Citadel on Sept. 17.  Sophomore Allison Lewis has led the Lady Bucs with two goals this season.  Longwood and CSU are meeting for the eighth time in women's soccer as the Lancers lead the series at 4-3, though falling 2-1 last Sept. 28 in South Carolina.  South Carolina State is coached by fourth-year head coach Glad Bugariu, and is currently 1-4-2 after a 5-1 road loss at UNC Asheville on Sept. 18.  Junior Kaitlynn Cortez has led the Lady Bulldogs with one goal and one assist this fall.  Longwood has never lost to SCSU (5-0-1), including a 3-1 home win last season on August 29.

Leading The Lancers | Season Statistics
Kelsey Pardue leads Longwood with her two goals and three assists through 10 matches, followed by senior captain Kacie Oliver|Portsmouth, R.I. (Portsmouth) with three goals, and junior Nikki Glisson|Mechanicsville (Hanover) with two goals and one assist.  Fifth-year senior Alex Myers|Stafford (Colonial Forge) and freshman Kelsey McDonald|Kennett Square, Pa. (Unionville) each have one goal, while Lindsey Ottavio adds two assists.  Kyra Byron has played 958:58 in front of the net while allowing nine goals (0.84) with 36 saves (.800) and the three shutouts, while sophomore Shelby Hall|Purcellville (Loudoun Valley) has played 37:50 in goal while yielding no goals (0.00) with one save (1.000).

Here We Go Again …
Longwood has played six overtime contests this year, totaling 11 extra 10-minute periods.  Unfortunately, the OT matches have not been kind to the Lancers who have only won one of the beyond regulation matches (Tennessee Tech).  Longwood has tied three (Richmond, Liberty, George Mason), and lost two (East Tennessee State, Appalachian State) of the OT contests. Ironically, the Lancers did not play one overtime match during all of last season (19 matches) when the program finished 11-8.  Instead of the regulation 900 minutes through 10 games, Longwood has played 996-plus minutes for an average of 100 minutes per match – equivalent to a full additional match-plus.

Season & Career-Ending Injury
Unfortunately, fifth-year senior defender and second-year team captain Katie Devlin|Fairfax (W.T. Woodson) will miss the remainder of the season following a (right) knee injury suffered at George Mason.  Adding insult to injury, this is the second time during her career that such an injury has happened to her.  Devlin injured her other (left) knee early during her sophomore (2008) campaign and missed the remainder of that year before receiving a medical hardship waiver that allowed this fifth year with the program.

The Coaching Staff
Eighteenth-year head coach Todd Dyer '93 leads Longwood and is assisted by associate head coach Steve Brdarski, in his eighth season, along with director of soccer operations Lindsey Williams and graduate assistant Marcia Biddle '10.  Dyer is the only coach in the program's history as he has attained an overall coaching record of 189-116-19 (.613) over 17-plus years, including 14 winning seasons.

2011 Captains
Katie Devlin is serving as a team captain for the second consecutive season, while senior defender/midfielder Kacie Oliver and junior forward Lindsey Ottavio are in the team leadership roles for the first time.  The veteran and talented trio have combined for 174 career starts, 30 goals, 13 assists, and 73 points.

No Place Like Home
Longwood is 37-12-1 (.750), including 2-2 this season, on its home turf at the Athletics Complex since beginning competition at the facility in 2006.  The Lancers finished 8-2 at home last season, and are 30-11 (.732) at the Athletics Complex since attaining its NCAA Division I certification and eligibility for 2007.

Up Next
Longwood will enjoy a rare week off from competition with no matches scheduled, though the Lancers will welcome all former team members back for an Alumni match on Saturday, October 1, at the Athletics Complex in Farmville at 2 p.m.  It will take place during the University's annual Oktoberfest celebration.  Longwood returns to regular season action on Friday night, Oct. 7, hosting Atlantic Coast Conference member North Carolina State University to Farmville at 7 p.m. It will be Longwood Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night.