GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the first time in program history, Longwood women's soccer will play for a Big South Championship.
Adding another chapter to what has become a storybook season, the No. 3 seed Lancers (13-4-3) upset No. 2 seed Liberty 2-0 in the semifinals of the 2017 Big South Championship Friday night at Bryan Park to set up a championship game showdown against No. 1 seed High Point Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m.
Longwood will enter Sunday's title fight on a 10-game unbeaten streak, extending that tear with a second straight postseason shutout, this time against the reigning Big South regular-season co-champion Flames (10-7-3). Sunday's Big South Championship game will air live on ESPN3 from Bryan Park.
"This group continues to amaze me as they write their own story and make history in the process," said 2017 Big South Coach of the Year
Todd Dyer, who matched his program's Division I single-season wins record with his 13th victory Friday.
"They just battle to the very end and manage to find a way over and over again. There's something special happening right now, and we just don't want it to end."
Instead of writing an ending Friday night, the Lancers penned even more rising action into the story arc of their 2017 season. All-Big South first-team forward
Emilie Kupsov was the tale's latest hero, scoring a game-winner from 20 yards out in the 71st minute to break open a scoreless game and swing momentum back to the Lancers for good. That goal was Kupsov's team-leading seventh of the season and sixth in her past nine games.
Alongside Kupsov, Longwood's supporting cast was equally as impactful. Freshman
Emily Mothersbaugh followed Kupsov's goal with a score of her own 10 minutes later, and the Lancers' vaunted backfield quartet of Big South Defensive Player of the Year
Sydney Wallace, Freshman of the Year
Carrie Reaver and All-Big South second-teamers
Taylor Alvey and goalkeeper
Maria Kirby completed their conference-leading 11th shutout of the year.
Liberty managed just two shots on goal against that backfield unit, both of which Kirby stopped en route to her record-breaking 27th career shutout, the most in school history. Already the holder of Longwood's Division I records for wins (30), saves (261), goals against average (0.82) and save percentage (.842), Kirby also earned her 30th career win Friday, becoming only the third goalkeeper in program history to reach that plateau.
Now with Liberty dispatched, the Lancers get another crack at a High Point team that has ended their season in back-to-back year in the Big South Tournament.
"It's fitting that we had to beat Liberty to get to the challenge of High Point because those two programs have been the standard of our league in recent years," Dyer said. "Now we look to make the most of the opportunity in front of us."
The plot thickens even more Sunday, as top-seeded High Point remains the only team in the Big South to defeat Longwood this season. The last time the teams met was in the Big South opener, which High Point stole 1-0 on the strength of a first-half penalty kick that was brought on by an accidental handball in the box by the Lancers.
Longwood began its 10-game unbeaten streak the next game.
"It's exactly what we wanted. It's the one team we want revenge against," said senior captain and All-Big South first-team midfielder
Janese Quick. "We had a great game against them, but it just wasn't our day that day. Hopefully on Sunday it is."
Wouldn't that make for a great story.
#GoWood
