FARMVILLE, Va. -- First-place Liberty secured the Big South regular season title by outlasting Longwood 1-0 on a rainy Tuesday evening at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
 
The Flames (10-7-1, 8-2-0 Big South) rode a 49th-minute goal from Baylee Gillmore to their league-leading eighth win of the season and the top spot in the Big South Championship bracket for the second straight year. In their final match of the regular season, the Lancers (9-7-2, 5-3-2 Big South) claimed the No. 5 seed and will open the Big South postseason with a road game at No. 4 seed High Point Saturday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m.
 
In a showdown between two teams that entered the game averaging fewer than one goal allowed per game, Gillmore's lone score three minutes into the second half stood as the game-winner. The sophomore forward flicked in a header off a corner kick from Brittany Aanderud, redirecting the high cross just inside the left post to give the Flames their third straight win and Aanderud her Big South-record 30th career assist.
 
Liberty's win spoiled the final home game for Longwood's record nine-member senior class, which has amassed a 39-30-9 overall record and a 24-13-5 mark in Big South play over the past four years. That group has two Big South top-three finishes and this year's top-five finish to their credit and will play in their third Big South postseason this weekend.
 
"The way we fought tonight is a reflection of our seniors and what they've done these past four years," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer, whose nine-member senior class is his largest since founding the program in 1994.
 
"It was a tight game against the regular season champs tonight, and a single corner kick was the difference. Now we need to embrace the postseason opportunity that we earned this year."
 
The Lancers nearly had a game-changing goal of their own in the closing minute of the first half when senior Meghan Magee used a header to redirect Olivia Colella's free kick toward the left post, but Liberty keeper Holly Van Noord saved the game for the Flames by deflecting the shot with a diving left hand. That would be the final shot on goal for the Lancers until the 84th minute when junior Jessica O'Bryant launched one from the top right corner of the box that bent right to Van Noord.
 
The loss is only Longwood's second in the past eight games. Key to Longwood's success in 2015 is one of the league's stingiest defensive units, which allows just 1.00 goals per game and has posted nine shutouts. Sophomore goalkeeper Maria Kirby has earned seven of those clean sheets and boasts a 0.77 goals against average to rank second in the Big South in both categories.
 
Longwood's first round Big South matchup against the Panthers will stream live on the Big South Network. With a win, Longwood would advance to face the winner of No. 1 seed Liberty and No. 8 seed Winthrop.
 
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