FARMVILLE, Va. – Back-to-back second-half goals by Stephen Chapman erased a one-goal Longwood lead and lifted Appalachian State to a 3-2 victory Wednesday evening at the Athletics Complex.
Trailing 2-1 through the first 59 minutes of play, the Mountaineers (5-7-3) turned to Chapman, who tied the game in the 60th minute and then scored the game-winner at the 72:24 mark. The goals came after Longwood controlled the first 50 minutes of the game and erased an early 1-0 deficit of their own with goals from senior
Zach Crandall and sophomore
Dan Campos.
That two-goal lead lasted just 11 minutes, however, as Chapman responded to Campos' 49th-minute goal with the equalizer that started with a pass from Patrick Harrow. Longwood kept the pressure on after Chapman's second goal, but saw two headers on corner kicks sail over the net as well as two missed opportunities on well-placed crosses across the net.
The one-goal loss to Appalachian State is the latest in a string of tough-luck defeats for the Lancers, who are 1-6 in one-goal games in 2014 along with a pair of draws.
"Fate has a cruel way of kicking you when you're down. We did enough to get a result tonight and somehow came away empty-handed," said 13th-year Longwood head coach
Jon Atkinson. "The game at our level is a game of fine margins, and we saw this tonight in what was a good 'ole college tussle.
"I have to give our guys credit that they played some great soccer and dominated large parts of this match with some good goals; however, there is a process in place right now that's challenging each and every member of this team. I know it will make us stronger because of it."
With
Jonathan Kukapa and
Anthony Ugorji as the lone seniors on this year's squad, the Lancers will begin their farewell run for those two upperclassmen this Sunday at UNC Asheville in the first of the team's three remaining games. Longwood then returns to the Athletics Complex Wednesday for the last time this season, hosting Gardner-Webb at 6 p.m. following Senior Day festivities. The season finale takes place at Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 8.
#GoWood
