FARMVILLE, Va. – Tenth-ranked Louisville rode a dominant performance in the center circle by the nation's No. 2 leading draw control specialist Kaylin Morissette to defeat Longwood, 15-4, Wednesday afternoon at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
 
Morissette, whose 11.11 draw controls entering the game ranked second in the nation, won 18 of the game's 21 draws to help Louisville (8-2) keep play on Longwood's side of the field for the majority of both halves. The ball-control advantage freed up the Cardinals to send 35 of their 37 shots on goal which resulted in four multi-goal games, including four-score days from attackers Hannah Koloski and Faye Brust.
 
"When you play the 10th-ranked team in the nation, you can't make too many mistakes and you need to capitalize on your opportunities when you get them," Longwood head coach Elaine Jones said. "Although we kept battling all game, Louisville had some very athletically talented players that, unfortunately, we just couldn't match.

"That said, I was proud of the effort we gave, especially Christian [Acker] in coming up with save after save. Overall, it was great to play such a high-caliber opponent. The lessons we learned will definitely help us as we prepare for our upcoming conference matches."

Despite Louisville's high-volume shooting approach, Acker batted away a career-high 20 saves to block over 57 percent of the shots she faced. The Big South All-Preseason Team selection added six ground balls and a caused turnover in front of the net to help hold the Cardinals to their fourth-lowest shooting percentage of the year and lowest since No. 4 Duke held them to a .347 clip on March 14.
 
Acker's blockade in front of Longwood's goal was enough to hold the All-American Morissette to two goals despite her netting of the game's first goal less than two minutes after the opening whistle. She would score just once more the rest of the way, but her opening goal jumpstarted a 7-0 run that put the Cardinals ahead for good.
 
Longwood netted just one goal in the first half – from leading scorer Sarah Butler – before breaking out for three goals in the first nine minutes of the second period. That scoring burst, which included three total goals from Butler, was short-lived, as Louisville bookended the game with another 5-0 run.
 
Longwood put 15 shots on goal but got just four past Louisville goalkeeper Ashley Peacock, who picked up seven saves to improve to 8-2 on the year. She and reserve keeper Brittany Read shut out the Lancers for the first 21:33 of the game, blocking the last six shots they faced including a pair of free position attempts.
 
Wednesday's matchup is the final non-conference bout of the season for the Lancers, who have 10 days to prepare for their Big South opener against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, April 4 at the Longwood Athletics Complex. That game will be a Pink Out promotional day in conjunction with the team's fundraising efforts for the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR).
 
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