Box Score CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina midfielder Shelby Evans scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lead the Chanticleers to a 2-1 win over Longwood on a Wednesday evening marked by intermittent rain at CCU Soccer Stadium.
The game, which featured the Big South's preseason No. 3 and No. 4 teams, lived up to its billing as one of the most competitive in the opening week of conference play, but it was Evans' overtime goal in the 97th minute that pulled the Chanticleers out on top. With one stroke, the Chanticleer senior ended a comeback in the making for the Lancers (4-4-1, 0-1-0 Big South), who rallied from a 1-0 first-half deficit to force overtime in their third Big South opener.
The overtime loss was unfamiliar to the Lancers, who had not fallen in extra time since Oct. 23, 2011 when Morehead State came away with a 3-2 win in double OT. Coastal Carolina's late goal snaps Longwood's streak of nine consecutive overtime games without a loss and 16 consecutive shutout overtime periods.
"Painful to lose a game like that in overtime, especially after fighting so hard to get back into it," Longwood head coach
Todd Dyer said. "It was a scrappy goal that we conceded, and we just have to find a way to attack the ball in our own box and win that battle next time. We responded at halftime and came out a much better team in the second half."
Coastal Carolina (4-5-1, 1-0 Big South) stifled Longwood's offense in the opening half, holding the Lancers without a shot for the first 45 minutes of the game. Longwood nearly came out of the half unscathed, but Chanticleers forward Kacey Kelley poked in the go-ahead goal just three minutes before the clock ran out for a 1-0 Chanticleer lead.
It was a different story in the second half, however, as the Lancers attacked the net and totaled six shots on goal, including the game-tying score by
Christina Corbin in the 58th minute. Corbin's goal, her second of the season, came on a scrum in front of the net that started when sophomore
Gina D'Orazio worked her way behind the Coastal Carolina defense and drew goalkeeper Becca Austin out of the box. D'Orazio fired a shot on goal that was deflected right to Corbin, who stuck it in to tie the game.
The Lancers continued to flip the first-half script on Coastal Carolina following the goal, allowing just four more shots and sending three of those right back out of the box while the other sailed wide. Longwood goalkeeper
Hailey Machen, who missed the 4-1 loss at VCU this past Sunday with an injury, returned to make her eighth start of the year but had an uneventful second half without getting her hands on a single shot.
That pace changed for the Lancers just over six minutes into overtime, however, as Coastal's first shot on goal since the first half snuck past Machen and found the back of the net.
"It just wasn't quite enough in the end, and we have to swallow that, adjust and be better against Winthrop Saturday," Dyer said.
The Winthrop game marks Longwood's return to the Athletics Complex after playing the past four games on the road. The 7 p.m. contest will air live and free of charge on the Big South Network.
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