RICHMOND, Va. – Sophomore Jennifer Burris/Virginia tied her career high set earlier this season with a pair of goals to propel the Longwood University field hockey team to a 2-1, overtime victory at in-state opponent VCU (4-6) on Wednesday evening in Richmond. Her first score came early in the second half, knotting the game to force overtime before securing the game-winner less than four minutes into the extra period. Longwood will return to action on Sunday, October 6 when the squad hosts Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference (NorPac) opponent Davidson College beginning at 2 p.m.

"This was a very challenging game for us today," said head coach Iain Byers. "VCU is always a tough opponent. We had a couple of other challenges, including some injuries, so we're really happy to have come out and fought for the win. We had a great team performance. This definitely makes us stronger as a team and gets us more prepared for Davidson, which is always a really tough game. We see the Davidson game as very important, and we're ready to focus and ready to go."

VCU registered the first penalty corner opportunity of the evening less than four minutes into the contest, as Kendell Combs launched the team's shot attempt on the play that was blocked. The Lancers retaliated, however, outshooting the Rams, 2-1, in the next 14 minutes, with both Longwood shots coming off the stick of sophomore Meghan O'Connor/Stafford. VCU pulled ahead with less than 20 minutes remaining in the half, when Nicola Breeman fed a pass from the right side to Emilie Soares inside the circle for the tip, giving VCU a 1-0 advantage. Longwood regained momentum, tallying three penalty corners and three shot attempts, but senior Stacey de Grandhomme/Cape Town, South Africa had her first chance turned away by VCU keeper Megan Botteri before sending her second opportunity wide, and senior Caitlin Smith/Hampton had a shot blocked. The Lancers had two more shots in the half courtesy de Grandhomme and junior Jessica Diaz/Chesapeake, but the squad was unable to convert, heading into halftime facing a one-goal deficit.

The Lancers attacked quickly in the second half to gain the momentum. After Soares opened the period with a shot for VCU, Longwood followed with back-to-back attempts from de Grandhomme and sophomore Hollie MacDonald/Yorktown during a penalty corner situation, but both were saved by Botteri. The Rams followed with a pair of shots of their own, both of which were batted away, before Longwood was able to knot the game at 1-1 when Burris tipped in a loose ball with just over 19 minutes to go in regulation. The squads battled back and forth in the final minutes of the half, tallying one shot each, but neither side was able to find the back of the cage before the clock expired.

Burris' game-changer was the lone attempt of the overtime period for either side. Less than four minutes into the extra time, Burris collected the loose ball during a scramble in front of the cage and scooped a shot into the bottom right corner, sealing the 2-1 victory for the Lancers.

Longwood outshot VCU, 14-9, in the decision, and forced more penalty corners, 7-2. Wednesday's contest marked the 27th meeting between Longwood and VCU in the sport of field hockey. VCU still holds a slight, 15-12 advantage in the all-time series.