FARMVILLE, Va. – Junior forward Edel Nyland broke the Longwood's Division I single-game goals record, punching in four goals to propel the Lancers to a 6-2 thrashing of Saint Louis Sunday afternoon at the Longwood Athletics Complex that extended Longwood's dominant start to the 2016 campaign.
 
Playing their second game of the weekend, the Lancers improved to 2-0 thanks to Nyland's four goals and a defensive performance from a back line that limited Saint Louis (0-2) to just six shots on goal. Nyland had a hat trick in the first 17 minutes of the game, allowing Longwood to cruise until the final whistle and start 2-0 for the first time in the university's 10-year Division I era.
 
The Tipperary, Ireland, native and two-time All-MAC selection came within two goals of tying Longwood's all-time single-game scoring record of six set by Dela Dove in 1958. In the process, she became the program's first four-goal scorer in 10 years of Division I competition.
 
"We're definitely happy with the weekend," said Nyland, who is already two goals shy of matching the career-high six she scored in 2015. "This is a team we expected to dominate, so we know we're not going to hold James Madison to that many shots and chances Tuesday. We're happy, but we still have a long way to go."
 
Nyland's first three goals came within five minutes of each other in the first half, giving the Lancers a 4-1 cushion before the 20-minute mark. Longwood's six goals on the day, which included the second straight game-winner from sophomore Leonie Verstraete, marked the program's most in a game since an 8-1 win over Appalachian State on Sept. 14, 2013.
 
But despite the offensive fireworks Nyland set off Sunday, she was quick to deflect praise to the Lancers' underlooked defensive unit that has allowed just six shots on goal in their first 140 minutes of play.
 
"It's definitely a relief to be able to capitalize because it's a problem we've had in other years," Nyland said. "But it all comes from the defense. Nearly every goal had a different player on the assist, and they're just as important to the final result. This year's different than other years because we've always been an inch away. This year we have those inches all over the field."
 
Nyland's backfield counterpart Lil-Sophie Achterwinter anchored that rotation in front of goalkeeper Lauren Bernard, who saved four of the six shots she faced.
 
"We have good depth, so that's helping us out a lot right now," said ninth-year head coach Iain Byers. "We're getting good numbers, good rotations so nobody's having to carry too much of a load themselves. We've worked hard to create a squad that has that, and the team is buying into the same purpose. There's not much dropoff between individual players, so that allows up to spread the load and perform at a high level throughout."
 
Byers deployed 21 players Sunday and allowed only midfielders Lindsey Lysher and Brenna Kinzel to surpass 50 minutes. The bench-clearing approach came fewer than 48 hours after the Lancers opened the season with a 2-0 win against Towson Friday in a game that was played in near 100-degree heat in Farmville. Longwood was equally dominant against the Tigers, allowing just one shot and holding an opponent without a shot on goal for the first time in the Division I era.
 
"We're certainly pleased to finish our first two games with eight goals and two wins," Byers said. "It was a good performance, but I don't think we're firing on all cylinders right now. When you start the season, there's always something to work towards and we have a few things to focus on."
 
Longwood will have little practice time to address those shortcomings, instead having to do so in game situations in the midst of an early-season stretch that includes five games in 10 days. The next of those comes Tuesday against Colonial Athletic Association powerhouse James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va., the first of four straight road games for the Lancers. Longwood follows with a Thursday road game against Villanova and another matchup Saturday at Lafayette before finally getting a five-day reprieve before a Sept. 9 trip to VCU.
 
"It's a huge test of our fitness," Nyland said. "Every day this week has been either a pregame or game day. It's a testament to how hard we've been working in the preseason and in practices. I have no doubt we'll be able to keep it up because we're the fittest we've been in my time at Longwood."
 
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