FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood freshman attackers Molly Barkman and Kaitlin Luccarelli scored crunch-time goals to erase a 3-0 deficit and take down Atlantic-10 foe St. Bonaventure in comeback fashion, 13-8 Friday afternoon at a blustery Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field at the Longwood Athletics Complex.

"I'm pleased that we overcame a sluggish start and battled our way back to win the game," said second-year head coach Elaine Jones.

After the Bonnies (1-4) took advantage of a sloppy Lancer start for a 3-0 lead, Barkman found the back of the net twice twice to kickstart a 5-2 run that sent the Lancers into halftime tied 5-5.
 
"It feels good," said Barkman, who also won a team-high four draw controls to help the Lancers control the center circle 13-10. "We had some early turnovers, so I thought [the 3-0 run to tie the game] was huge in getting our team's spirits lifted and giving us a chance to win the game."
 
A product of Lothian, Md., Barkman finished the day with a career-high four goals and added an assist on the first of Luccarelli's two game-tying goals to knot the score at 5-5 just before halftime. The combined six goals from those two freshmen gave the Lancers (4-3) their fourth win in the past five games and kept them a perfect 3-0 at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field.
 
"In the first half, we had a lot of turnovers and we were looking for a way to change that, so we switched up our defense," said senior defender Madelynn Rollins. "We talked [at halftime] about how we had to pick up our pace, because we started off a little bit slow."
 
The Lancers outscored the Bonnies 8-3 after halftime, outshooting them 18-10 after the break while forcing 11 turnovers. Key to that second-half surge was Luccarelli, who fired in another game-tying goal that knotted the score at 6-6 and dished an assist on the go-ahead score from Lexi Davis that put Longwood ahead for good.

On the other end of the field, the Lancer defense put the clamps on St. Bonaventure's attack, holding the Bonnies to three second-half goals, two coming on free-position shots. The third goal was also unassisted, making life tough for the Bonnies in the attacking zone.
 
"Before the game, coach talked about how we need to get more caused turnovers as defenders," Rollins said. "We're trying to dictate the attack. By getting more caused turnovers, we are able to get it down the field and help our attackers.
 
"That was pretty much the defensive game plan," Rollins said.
 
Junior goalkeeper Imani West played a big role between the pipes, saving 14 shots and scooping up five ground balls to create enough opportunities for the attack to get rolling. The 14 saves from West were her most since a career-best 19 in the home opener against George Washington.
 
Rollins picked up a team-best six ground balls and won a draw control to help West and the rest of the defense tighten up in the closing 30 minutes.

"Madelynn [Rollins] came up with some big caused turnovers and ground balls, while Imani [West] made some clutch saves which gave our offense momentum," Jones said. "It wasn't our sharpest game though and the players know they need to work on displaying consistent execution for both halves, as well as cutting down on turnovers in order to be more successful.

"That being said, I'm proud of the overall effort, competitiveness, and mental toughness they showed in coming back from behind three times to retake the lead and eventually keep it over an aggresive St. Bonaventure team," Jones said.

Junior attacker Riley Dolan extended her points streak to four-straight games, while Luccarelli's two-goal, one-assist effort pushed her to five-consecutive games with at least one point. Dolan now leads the team in assists with nine after collecting 10 total her first two seasons for the blue and white.

St. Bonaventure's Scarlet Jaworski put the Bonnies up 6-5 with a goal at the 27:45 mark of the second half, but the lead was short-lived. Luccarelli scored her second goal of the day to tie it back up at 6-6 and start a 5-0 run to give the lances a 10-6 lead, one they would hold down the stretch.

The Bonnies were led by Jaworski's hat trick offensively, while Leighann Stauffer added two goals and three assists in the losing effort. Friday's game was the second of back-to-back contests in the Commonwealth after taking on another Big South opponent, Radford, Monday afternoon.
 
Freshman midfielder Dana Joss scored the first two goals of her career, and corralled two ground balls while winning a draw control. Joss' first tally came at the 5:58 mark of the first half to knot the game at 3-3, then provided some cushion on her second goal to push the Lancer lead to 8-6 with 23:15 to play in regulation.
 
Stephanie Roberts continued her breakout campaign, notching two more goals to give her a team-best 16 on the season. Fellow sophomore Cassie Angeles tallied two goals in the final half to join Roberts as the only two Lancers in double figures in 2017.

The Lancers hit the road for two more contests, starting at UMBC Wednesday, March 15, and finish up at St. Francis (Pa.) March 19. First draw at UMBC is set to go up at 4 p.m. from Baltimore, Md.
 
"We need to start out stronger, working on passing, moving and getting after it at the beginning without turnovers to start off the game" Barkman said.

#GoWood