FARMVILLE, Va. – Through the Longwood women's soccer team's first two games of the season, opponents have taken 17 shots in the first half, compared to just six by the Lancers. While soccer is more about the shots than go in rather than the ones that miss, the lopsided margin illustrates what head coach Todd Dyer has been harping on in practice this week as the Lancers prepare for their 7 p.m. home matchup against Western Carolina Friday night at the Athletics Complex.
 
Dyer wants his team to start faster out of the gate to avoid getting into an early deficit, which Longwood has done in each of its first two games.
 
 "We're coming off of a home loss, so we're motivated and eager to get back out there and protect our home turf," Dyer said. "If we can get off to a faster start than our first few games, we put ourselves in a better position to earn a positive result."
 
The Lancers have traditionally employed an aggressive style of play built on ball possession and relentless pursuit. The program's slogan, "BE RELENTLESS," is proudly displayed in the team meeting room, and it's that mindset that has propelled the Lancers to back-to-back top-three conference finishes in their first two years in the Big South.
 
Senior Samantha Phillips, who scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in the 2-1 season-opening win at American, echoed Dyer's desire for a more aggressive start and a return to the program's bread-and-butter.
 
"I think we're definitely motivated to come out and play hard," Phillips said. "We've tried a couple new things at practice to get us started off a little quicker, faster and more motivated. That's definitely goal number one for today. We changed our warm-up a little bit to make it not as taxing on ourselves so maybe we come out with a little more energy, a little more enthusiasm. But I know we're going to try and pump the team up more, pre-game wise."
 
That new approach will be on display tonight against the Catamounts. Western Carolina, a member of the Southern Conference and a 10-win squad last season, has also had trouble getting started at the whistle and has yet to score a goal through two games. The Catamounts enter Friday's contest coming off back-to-back 1-0 losses to Eastern Kentucky and East Carolina. Despite the scoring drought, the Catamounts have a capable offense with four of their top five scorers from 2013 returning.
 
"Western is traditionally a very tough soccer program from a big football conference," head coach Todd Dyer said. "Chad always has his teams organized and stocked with enough talent to hurt you in different ways.  We haven't played them in a long time so I'm sure there will be a feeling out process in the first few minutes of the game."
 
Lack of familiarity will be a factor for both teams, as Longwood and Western Carolina have faced each other just once, back in 2005 when the Catamounts won 2-0 in Cullowhee, N.C. Phillips noted that at this point in the season, it's more about how her team is playing together rather than what their opponents do.
 
"We've never played Western Carolina, not since I've been here," she said. "So we're just coming out with all that we have."
 
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