FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood scored three times in the second half to rally from a two-goal deficit and held off Presbyterian through two overtimes on the way to a 3-3 draw Thursday evening at the Athletics Complex.
 
After falling behind 2-0, the Lancers (6-6-3, 1-3-2 Big South) got three consecutive second-half goals from offensive pillars Amanda Spencer and Samantha Phillips, who have combined for five of the Lancers' eight goals in conference play. Phillips scored twice in a span of seven minutes to erase Presbyterian's two-goal lead, and Phillips came through with her second penalty kick goal of the season.
 
The draw marks the third time this season Longwood has fought back from a second-half deficit to earn a draw, and either Phillips or Spencer have scored the equalizer in all of those contests.
 
"That PC program is a class act, and it's a reflection of their coach," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer. "I'm glad we responded the way we did and fought our way back into the game, but PC probably deserved something out of that game as well."
 
The Blue Hose (3-7-3, 0-4-3 Big South) controlled the first half and broke through in the 38th minute when Keri O'Neill snuck one past Longwood keeper Hailey Machen to give Presbyterian a 1-0 lead. Presbyterian carried the momentum out of the break and took a two-goal lead when Sophia Cobb hammered a free kick over the head of new-inserted Longwood freshman goalie Maria Kirby.
 
Longwood's senior leadership reared its head from that point, however, as Phillips immediately took the ball out of the net and ran it back to the midfield to reset her squad. Her teammates followed suit and from the whistle pressured the Presbyterian goal to eventually open up Spencer for her first goal of the game. Freshman Teresa Fruchterman sent a cross into the middle of the box to start the scoring sequence, earning her first career assist in the process.
 
Spencer came through again in the 60th minute and drilled a free kick over a five-player wall into the back of the net to tie the score at 2-2. It was the team-leading seventh goal of the year for the sophomore forward, who has scored 16 times in less than two full season as a Lancer.
 
Phillips would come through with a penalty kick – her second PK goal of the year – in the 67th minute to put Longwood up 3-2. The goal would have been the senior forward's second game-winner of the year had Presbyterian forward Catie Smith not turned a scrum in front of the Longwood net into the game-tying goal seven minutes later.
 
Kirby bounced back to lock down the Longwood net through the remainder of regulation and through two overtime periods, but Presbyterian keeper Sydney Fontenot did the same and fought off six more Longwood shots to keep the draw intact.
 
"We made it difficult by not playing with enough energy and purpose in the first half, and games like that are going to work against you most of the time," Dyer said. "It's something we have to resolve pretty fast because we're starting to run out of games."
 
Only four games remain in the regular season for Longwood, beginning with the second-to-last home game of the year against Charleston Southern Saturday at 2 p.m. The Lancers will then head to Campbell on Oct. 22 followed by the Senior Night contest against UNC Asheville in Farmville, Va., on Oct. 25. The season wraps up against Liberty on Oct. 28 before the Big South Tournament kicks off on Nov. 1.
 
#GoWood