PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The homecoming spotlight shined bright on a pair of Pennsylvanians as Longwood senior captain Amanda Spencer and freshman Emilie Kupsov both scored in a return to their home state to propel Longwood to a 2-1 upset win over reigning Atlantic 10 champion Duquesne Friday night at Arthur J. Rooney Field.
 
Spencer, playing just 15 miles from her hometown of Gibsonia, and Kupsov, playing across the state from her old stomping grounds in Pottstown, teamed up for back-to-back goals in the first half to shock a Dukes (1-2-1) team that stormed undefeated through the 2015 Atlantic 10 Tournament.
 
"Going into a game against the defending A-10 champion was going to be a grind, and we emphasized that in our pregame talk," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer. "We did well to go up two goals in the first half, and then it was just a matter of showing some maturity and managing the rest of the game. We absorbed some pressure, and we're disappointed to concede the late goal, but we earned the result and that's all that matters."
 
The win was the first of the season for Longwood (1-3-0) and featured several milestones, including the first goal of the season for the three-time All-Big South pick Spencer, the first career score for Kupsov and a record-tying performance from goalkeeper Maria Kirby, a fellow Northeasterner who matched her own Longwood Division I record with 11 saves.
 
Kupsov's game-winner in the 42nd minute was enough to back the record-tying performance from Kirby, whose 11 saves matched the school record she tied in another game against Richmond, another A-10 opponent, in a 1-0 victory in 2015. The goal was the first career score for the freshman Kupsov, a 27-goal scorer during her senior year at Owen J. Roberts High School.
 
Spencer, meanwhile, showed out once again in a return to her home state, starting the scoring just 12 minutes into the game with the 23rd goal of her career. The performance echoed the last time Spencer played in The Keystone State when she torched Loretto, Pa.-based Saint Francis for two goals in a 3-1 Longwood victory on Sept. 3, 2014 during her sophomore year.
 
The home state fireworks provided by Spencer and Kupsov overshadowed a dominant showing in the net from Kirby, another Northeasterner by way of Woolwich Township, N.J., who dispatched 11 of the
12 shots she faced from the Dukes. Duquesne did not get on the board until the 80th minute when Malea Fabean snuck through Longwood's back line and took advantage of a pinpoint pass through traffic from Haley Yow to cut Longwood's lead to 2-1.
 
That would be the lone blemish on Kirby's Friday night resume, however, as she turned away the final two shots she faced the rest of the way.
 
Longwood also got a pair of 90-minute performances from the defensive duo of Jayden Metzger and Sydney Wallace, both of whom sit atop Longwood's minutes leaderboard through the first four games.
 
"This group works so hard and loves playing for each other," Dyer said. "That makes this first win even more rewarding."
 
Longwood now has just one day of preparation before heading west for a rematch against Youngstown State this Sunday at noon in Youngstown, Ohio.
 
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