TEAM ROSTER / TEAM SCHEDULE / COACH DYER VIDEO PREVIEW (LongwoodULancers YouTube Channel)
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood experienced much success during its first year in the Big South Conference, completing season one with an impressive 8-2-1 league record en route to finishing 13-6-2 overall. The Lancers tied for second place during the regular season, hosting a quarterfinal while advancing to the semifinals of the Big South Women's Soccer Championship. Longwood posted its highest win total as a Division I program, and equaled the sixth-highest win total in the 19-year history of the program founded by 20th-year head coach Todd Dyer '93. The Lancers return six starters among 20 letterwinners from a year ago, and nine talented newcomers have been added to the roster. So what does Dyer, who has an outstanding career record of 206-125-22 and 15 winning seasons as the sport's only head coach, envision for an encore in 2013?
Longwood University will begin its 2013 women's soccer regular season at North Carolina State of the Atlantic Coast Conference this Sunday night, August 25 at 7 p.m. at the Dail Soccer Stadium in Raleigh. The Lancers and Wolfpack have met just one time previously, as North Carolina State took a 4-1 decision in Farmville during the 2011 campaign. Longwood finished 13-6-2 overall, 8-2-1 in the Big South Conference a year ago, while NC State was 5-14 overall, 0-10 in the ACC last season.
"Last year we had a small taste of success in the conference regular season and tournament, so we'd like to see if we can take things even further this year," said Dyer. "On that same note, we all realize that this is a new year and a new team and it's a matter of earning it all over again and not just building on last season."
Among returners, senior midfielder/forward Kelsey Pardue/Richmond was named to the All-Big South First Team, while sophomores Olivia Colella/Herndon and Meghan Magee/Virginia Beach were each named to the All-Freshman Team a year ago. Pardue, who started all 21 matches, led the team in scoring with seven goals and six assists for 20 points, and earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Southeast Region Third Team honors. She led the team in every offensive category for the second consecutive season, including goals, assists, points, shots (63), shots on goal (30) and game-winning goals (five), and was also named Longwood's Female Athlete of the Year. Colella started 10 of 20 matches and the forward/midfielder added three goals and one assist for seven points, while Magee, a defender, also started every contest and helped the squad to 10 shutouts and added an assist last season.
"As good a player as Pardue is, the fact of the matter is that she'll be a marked woman this year and will have to work even harder to continue her success and growth as a player," said Dyer. "She's very capable of meeting that challenge, but the key is allowing her teammates to shoulder some of that burden as well. With Olivia, I think her best soccer is still ahead of her and her versatility up top and in midfield is going to allow us to utilize her in a variety of ways. We gave Magee a lot of responsibility last year at the center back position and this year she needs to continue to take more ownership of that backline and become a consistent leader in that area of the field for us."
The other returning starters include junior midfielder/forward Kelsey McDonald/Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, sophomore defender Alana Mackey/Leesburg, junior defender Taylor Cave/Virginia Beach and senior defender Chelsea Walter/South Riding. McDonald started all 21 matches, as well, and contributed three goals and three assists for nine points. Mackey also started every contest, adding one goal for two points. Cave started 20 of 21 matches and had one assist for one point. Walter started 16 of 18 contests.
"Mac continues to grow as a player and has really stepped up as a leader for this group," said Dyer. "She's one of our strongest athletes whose soccer instincts allow her to be in the center of the action wherever it occurs on the field. Cave is one of our most consistent performers on the backline, yet she continues to push herself and strive for greater things. With Chelsea, don't make the mistake of thinking that her quiet demeanor is a reflection of how she plays the game. Quite the opposite, she's very tenacious at the outside back position and her actions speak much louder than her words."
Additional top returning scorers include junior midfielder Kylie Dyer/Midlothian, junior midfielder/forward Samantha Phillips/Chesapeake and sophomore forward Haylea Witz/Chesapeake. Dyer, the daughter of the head coach, played in 19 matches and had three goals and one assist for seven points. Phillips started seven of 21 contests with two goals for four points. Witz started two of 21 matches and also had two goals for four points.
"Kylie scored some big goals for us last year and we're hoping for more of the same this time around," said Dyer. "Sam came into preseason in the best shape of her life and really looks strong heading into the season. She'll most likely start in central midfield for us, but we're counting on her to be a factor wherever she fits into the lineup. Haylea has a year under her belt now and continues to work hard, so we're anticipating an even greater impact this fall."
Other returning letterwinners include graduate goalkeeper Shelby Hall/Purcellville, redshirt-junior goalkeeper Dana Wallace/Charlottesville, junior defender/forward Rebecca Soares/Virginia Beach, junior forward Lexi Jones/Chesapeake, junior midfielder/defender Kelsey Trace/Gainesville, sophomore goalkeeper Hailey Machen/Fairfax, sophomore midfielder Sarah Watson/Newport News, sophomore midfielder/forward Bridget Bergquist/Bristow, sophomore defender Katie Beebe/Round Hill and sophomore defender Amelia McConnell/Havre de Grace, Maryland. Hall started one of four matches, allowing three goals (1.60), and will get the first opportunity to start in front of the net this season. Wallace played briefly in one contest. Soares started two of 17 matches, mostly as a defender. Jones played in one contest, and Trace played in five matches, while Machen did not see action but is expected to challenge Hall for playing time. Watson played in three contests. Bergquist started three of 21 matches with one goal for two points. Beebe started four of 17 contests, and McConnell played in one match.
"With this group of returners that gained a great deal of experience last season, it's now just a matter of seeing who plays themselves into the mix regarding playing time or even a starting position," said Dyer. "With Shelby having graduated and returned for her final year of eligibility, I'm sure she has big plans at the goalkeeper position and she's extremely motivated to take full advantage of this opportunity."
New to the program this year are sophomore forward Lilly Payne/Alexandria, along with eight freshmen, including forward Christina Corbin/Glen Allen, forward/midfielder Gina D'Orazio/Moseley, forward/midfielder Natalie Fry/Alexandria, midfielder/forward Nickie Ivey/Chesapeake, defender Jayden Metzger/Midlothian, defender Jessica O'Bryant/Forest, defender/midfielder Amanda Spencer/Gibsonia, Pennsylvania and forward Ashley Weidner/Virginia Beach.
"With all of our first year players, the big question is how quickly they can transition to the demands and challenges of soccer and academics at the Division I level," said Dyer. "They all have the tools to contribute and have an impact this year, so it's just a matter of finding that balance which will allow them to perform to the best of their ability."
Longwood will again play a 19-match, regular-season schedule that features 11 Big South matches, including six league home contests at the Athletics Complex in Farmville. The Lancers are 48-15-3 on their home turf since beginning competition at the facility in 2006, including 8-1-1 at home last season, as the program is now 41-14-2 at the Athletics Complex since becoming DI eligible for the 2007 season.
"On top of a very competitive league schedule, this is the toughest non-conference schedule we've ever put together," said Dyer. "We did that for a reason and it is to better prepare us for post-season play. We'll have to play well and be mentally tough throughout the season in order to get positive results, but if we're able to do so, we'll be well equipped as we head into our conference tournament."
The 2013 Big South Women's Soccer Championship will feature the top eight teams playing quarterfinal matches at the four highest seeds on November 2, followed by semifinal matches on November 8 and the tournament championship contest on November 10, hosted by Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina.
"The ultimate goal is to extend our season as long as possible and earn the right to play in the postseason," said Dyer. "To do that, we must perform consistently throughout the year and make sure we're playing our best soccer at the end of the year. I like our team and I like our chances, so now it's time to get to work and embrace this journey together. Go Lancers!"
Longwood also received the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the fourth consecutive year with an overall team GPA of 3.41 attained during the previous 2011-12 academic year, and expects to receive this distinction again for efforts during 2012-13. First-year assistant coach Rich Stoneman joins the program, as well.
