FARMVILLE, Va. -- A 49th-minute goal from Rachel Tallent was enough to lift VCU past Longwood 1-0 as the visiting Rams spoiled the Lancers' 2016 preseason debut Friday afternoon at the Longwood Athletics Complex.

Tallent connected on her lone shot attempt of the day in the second of three 30-minute periods to break up dueling shutouts in the exhibition matchup between the Commonwealth rivals. Tallent's game-winning goal started on a cross from VCU forward Tessa Broadwater, who lofted a pass into the far side of the box where Megan Dell flicked it off her head to the feet of Tallent in front of an open right side of the net.

"You can tell by the result that it was a tight game, but in the end VCU got what they deserved," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer, now embarking on his 23rd season as head coach of the program. "In terms of positives, we were dangerous early in the game, and all our players got some minutes. On the flip side, we need to be more cohesive on both sides of the ball, and we can't turn off at any point in the game."

Tallent's goal was the lone blemish for Longwood keeper Maria Kirby, who registered three saves, including a pair of one-on-one breakaways in her full 90 minutes of action. Kirby, who enters her junior season after a breakout sophomore campaign in which she registered seven shutouts and a 0.95 goals against average, withstood 12 VCU shots and eight corner kicks, allowing her only score on the second-period sequence initiated by Broadwater.

VCU's defensive unit controlled possession on their end of the field, holding the new-look Lancers without a shot for the duration. Starting a front six that returned just two starters from last season's 9-8-2 squad, Longwood had two close-up opportunities to score but saw both foiled by charging Rams defenders.

"We learned a ton about ourselves today," Dyer said. "That's what preseason games are all about."

Longwood deployed 23 players in the 90-minute exhibition, including eight freshmen and a starting lineup devoid of four seniors from last year's fifth-place Big South squad. Dyer will get another opportunity to tinker with his rotations and his starting 11 this Sunday at 7 p.m. when the Lancers conclude their preseason with another rivalry showdown on the road at James Madison.

#GoWood