OXFORD, Ohio – Longwood senior keeper Lauren Bernard stopped nearly every attempt by the conference preseason favorite Miami RedHawks, but the Miami attack provided the separation the RedHawks needed in a 3-2 win Friday afternoon at the Miami Field Hockey Complex.
 
Bernard made seven of her season-high 10 saves in the first half and kept Miami (8-5, 3-0 Mid-American Conference) off the board through the first 35 minutes. A run in the second half by Miami that consisted of three goals vaulted the RedHawks past the Lancers (6-6, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) to take the conference matchup.
 
"Miami is one of the best teams we've played," Longwood head coach Iain Byers said. "Their ball movement is great. We played very well in the first half, but had a few slip-ups in the second half."
 
Miami outshot Longwood 22-6 in the game, which included an 11-2 advantage in the first half for the RedHawks. Miami's Estel Roig opened the scoring in the 41st minute, her first of the season. Four minutes later Ashley Laskowitz put the RedHawks ahead, 2-0, before Mariona Heras netted the goal that proved to be the difference in the 57th minute.
 
The Lancers battled back late in the second half to give Miami a scare. Freshman midfielder Olivia Wawrzyniak netted her third goal of the season with just under 10 minutes to play in the match, playing back in her home state for the first time in college. The goal by the Hilliard, Ohio, native kept Longwood ahead of Miami for the conference lead in goals scored.
 
The second goal for the Lancers came from Lil-Sophie Achterwiner, her second of the season. Achterwinter capped off the match with a goal as the result of a penalty corner as time expired to cut the deficit to one.
 
"We knew it was going to be tough, but to come back late in the half was good for us and shows we have fight," Byers said. "It was just a little too late for us to get that third goal."
 
Achterwinter played well in her return to the lineup, logging 64 minutes after missing the two previous games. The junior defender also chipped in a pair of defensive saves, one coming during the first-half shutout.
 
In the loss, Leonie Verstraete and Edel Nyland, Longwood's top two goal scorers, were both shut out for the first time in the same match this season. Verstraete had recorded a goal in six consecutive matches entering the contest. Nyland, who entered the match atop the conference in goals and points, leads the MAC with 12 goals and 28 points, while Verstraete is second in the conference with 24 points and third with 10 goals.
 
"It was a hard loss, but it shows we're a competitive member of the MAC," Byers said. "As we move into the rest of the MAC portion of our schedule we know what we need to do to get into the tournament. That's our goal and we're confident we can do that."
 
The Lancers continue their road trip with a conference match at Ball State Sunday. Start time in Muncie, Ind., is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.
 
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