September 5, 2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood University field hockey team split a pair of matches last weekend in Hanover, New Hampshire, defeating Sacred Heart University 2-1 on Saturday afternoon in a neutral-site matchup before falling to host Dartmouth College 4-1 on Sunday afternoon. The Lancers (2-2) continue a five-match road swing this week with a pair of matches, traveling to Williamsburg to face the College of William and Mary of the Colonial Athletic Association on Friday, September 9, at 4 p.m.. Longwood will face its first ranked opponent of the season when it squares off against #15 Duke University of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Sunday, September 11, at 1 p.m. in Durham, North Carolina.

Match Details
Opponent: William and Mary
Site: Williamsburg, Va.
Facility: Busch Field
Date: September 9, 2011
Start: 4 p.m.

Match Details
Opponent: #15 Duke
Site: Durham, N.C.
Facility: Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium
Date: September 11, 2011
Start: 1 p.m.

Last Week
The Lancers went 1-1 last week, defeating Sacred Heart 2-1 on Saturday afternoon and falling to host Dartmouth 4-1 on Sunday in Hanover, New Hampshire. Senior Rachel Akers|Virginia Beach (First Colonial) scored her second goal of the season in the fourth minute while junior Christina Verhulst|Yorktown (Grafton) scored her first goal of the season in the 47th minute. On Sunday against Dartmouth, freshman Jessica Diaz|Chesapeake (Western Branch) scored her first career goal in the 14th minute to tie the match 1-1, but the Big Green scored the next three goals to win 4-1.

A Look At William and Mary
William and Mary (2-0) of the Colonial Athletic Association swept a pair of road matches last weekend, defeating Rutgers 2-1 on Friday and Monmouth 3-1 on Sunday. Jesse Ebner leads the Tribe with three goals and one assist on the season, while Camilla Hill has allowed one goal with 12 saves in 138 minutes in goal. Friday's match will be the home opener for W&M as the Tribe was originally scheduled to open their home season on August 27-28, but both matches were cancelled due to Hurricane Irene. The Tribe is coached by 25th-year head coach Peel Hawthorne.

A Look At Duke
Duke (3-1) is coming off a pair of road victories last weekend, defeating Delaware 5-2 and Drexel 2-0. The Blue Devils are led by Emmie Le Marchand with four goals and one assist, while Devon Gagliardi and Jessica Buttinger have each scored three goals. Samantha Nelson has recorded nine saves and conceded seven goals in 307 minutes in goal. The Blue Devils are coached by first-year head coach Pam Bustin.

Perfect From The Field
Rachel Akers has scored two goals on two shots this season. Both goals came after penalty corners.

First Time
Freshman Jessica Diaz scored her first career goal at Dartmouth (9.4). She took a pass from senior Alison Akers|Virginia Beach (First Colonial) on a two-on-one breakaway before finding the goal. Rachel Akers scored her first career goal Lock Haven (8.28). Rachel Akers serves as the injector on penalty corners and scored as she collected a rebound on a corner attempt.

Sister Sister
Seniors Rachel Akers and Alison Akers are twin sisters and four-year members of the field hockey program at Longwood. They are joined by the sister duo of junior Brittany Diaz|Chesapeake (Western Branch) and freshman Jessica Diaz. Coincidentally, each set of siblings had a member score a goal on the first weekend (Rachel Akers, Brittany Diaz), while Alison Akers had one assist. Jessica Diaz led the Lancers with four shots in her first match against Towson and scored her first career goal against Dartmouth. The two sets of siblings have scored four of the Lancers' six goals through the first four matches of the season.

Home Field
Longwood has posted a 25-25 record at the Athletics Complex since the facility opened for the 2006 season, including a 5-3 mark in 2009. The Lancers are 1-1 in home contests this season.

Fifth Year
Longwood welcomes back fifth-year senior Lauren Sullivan|Fredericksburg (Stafford). She has appeared in 66 matches with 36 starts, including 19 starts in 21 appearances in 2010. Sullivan scored a career-best seven goals with two assists for 16 points last season.

Familiar Faces
In addition to Lauren Sullivan, the Lancers return five seniors for 2011. Olga Knop|Berlin, Germany (Werner-von-Siemens-Gymnasium) has started all 63 matches she has appeared in and has scored 10 goals with 14 assists for 34 points. Amanda Babineau|Stafford (Mountain View) has appeared in 55 matches with 28 starts and has scored 13 goals with three assists, including a career-best six goal in 2010. Sarah Bietsch|Chambersburg, Pa. (Chambersburg Area) has appeared in 50 matches with 21 starts and has scored three goals with four assists. Rachel Akers has appeared in 56 matches with 40 starts, while her twin sister Alison has assisted on two goals in 14 matches.

Looking Ahead
The Lancers play at Virginia Commonwealth University of the Colonial Athletic Association on Thursday, September 15, at 6 p.m. in Richmond. Longwood returns home for the first time in three weeks on Sunday, September 18, when it hosts the University of Richmond of the Atlantic 10 Conference at 1 p.m. at the Athletics Complex in Farmville.