Box Score FARMVILLE, Va. – Junior Sarah Butler and freshman Madison Stair led Longwood with four goals each as the Lancers dominated Mercer 15-5 Friday afternoon at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
 
Behind the four goals from Butler and Stair and three more apiece from Katie McHugh and Sarah Arndt, Longwood (2-5) set season highs in goals, assists (9), shots (43), shots on goal (33) and caused turnovers (18). The Lancers scored the first six goals of the game and built an 8-1 lead before halftime thanks to three goals and two assists from Butler during that stretch.
 
Mercer (2-3) managed just five goals on 13 shots against a Lancer defense that forced 12 second-half turnovers. The 60-minute performance came on the heels of Longwood's 20-9 loss Wednesday to William & Mary, but McHugh said that defeat served as a rallying point for Longwood heading into Friday.
 
"After the last game, we had a long talk in the locker room just to figure out how we can help each other and help ourselves get better for the second half," said McHugh, whose three goals Friday gave her eight over the past two games. "We just came up with some ideas and helped each other do that. We came out really pumped up and excited for this game, and I think that helped us keep the positive energy and our attitudes up the entire game."
 
Longwood dominated at both ends of the field and found the back of the net seven times in the second half. A major factor in that second-half surge was senior Sarah Arndt, who exploded for three goals, an assist, two ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers after the break. The Pasadena, Md., native made her presence known less than a minute into the half's opening draw, scoring on a pass from Liz Trainer to put Longwood ahead 9-1 with 29:07 remaining.
 
Stair carried that momentum with her fourth goal of the game less than two minutes later, drawing a pass from Kelsi Carr that was the freshman attack's first career assist. Mercer finally snapped Longwood's four-goal streak on a goal from Kate Christian at 24:20, but McHugh responded by sparking a five-goal run for the Lancers with her third goal of the game.
 
The seven goals were the most Longwood has scored in the second half all season and improved Longwood to 2-1 on their home field this season.
 
"I just think we really connected well and carried that over to the second half," McHugh said. "We played both halves very strong. We really executed what we wanted to get done. There were ups and down, but we capitalized on the ups. When we took the lead, we kept it and we just ran from there."
 
Longwood's lead extended to 15-2 following those five unanswered goals, a lead that Mercer lightly dented with three goals in the final six minutes.
 
The win marks Longwood's largest margin of victory since an 18-7 win over Campbell in the 2014 Big South Tournament, and it followed Longwood's largest margin of defeat – 11 goals – of the season.

"We all have a good mindset, and it's not like we're trying to build back up from a loss or being down," McHugh said. "We're taking it and rolling with it rather than looking it as trying to dig ourselves out of a hole."
 
The Lancers look to continue rolling Wednesday when Colgate comes to town for a 4 p.m. matchup at the Longwood Athletics Complex. The game will be the third in a series of seven consecutive home games.
 
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