FARMVILLE, Va. – Practice makes perfect, even if it only starts the night before.
Longwood junior
Amber Hodges proved her head coach prophetic when she corralled a loose ball off a corner kick and ripped it from 20 yards out into the back of the net to spark the Lancers to a 2-0 win over American Thursday night at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
"It's funny because the night before because [head coach
Todd Dyer] put me on top of the 18 and told me 'Be ready for the rebound, Amber,'" Hodges said. "Against Towson and Marshall, I should have had a couple chances from far out, so he wanted me at the top of the box because he thought I could crack one in."
Hodges got that chance when American (1-4-0) headed a
Janese Quick corner kick back outside of the box right to her feet, and she capitalized by launching a rocket past the outstretched fingers of American goalkeeper Colleen Vivaldi to give Longwood a 1-0 lead. The goal was the first game-winner of Hodges' career and propelled the Lancers to their second straight win and a 3-1 record that is the program's best start since the 2012 season.
"I told her it was good coaching," laughed Dyer, whose last 3-1 start set the tone for Longwood's 13-6-2 record in 2012.
And even with Longwood earning its second shutout of the season and a conference-low 0.47 goals against average, it was the Lancer offense that was once again on display Thursday. Hodges' goal came on one of Longwood's season-high 26 shots, a season-high 12 of which were on goal.
Kathryn Miller took six of those shots and engineered several other opportunities for her teammates from the right wing, while sophomore and team points leader
Emilie Kupsov sent three of her four shots on goal as well.
The outburst raises Longwood's average to 18.50 shots per game this season, the highest mark in the Big South.
"We started fast tonight and kept that pace going for the majority of the match," Dyer said. "That pressure paid off in the form of two great goals from Amber and Janese [Quick]. On top of that we created a ton of chances, so I'm confident there are plenty of goals to be had with this team."
As highlight-worthy as Hodges' goal was, Quick upped the ante in the 81st minute by dribbling around two American defenders and firing a bullet that kissed the bottom of the crossbar and stuck into the back of the net to extend Longwood's lead to 2-0. The goal was the first of the season and sixth of her career for Quick, who retained her status as Longwood's active leading goal-scorer.
While Longwood's offense kept American busy at one end of the field, Longwood's defense quietly recorded their eighth shutout in their past nine home games. All-Big South honorable mention goalkeeper
Maria Kirby registered four saves, and All-Big South first team defender
Sydney Wallace extended her streak of 2,241 consecutive minutes played by going all 90 Thursday night.
"Our back line was rock solid again and secured the win with a shutout," Dyer said. "Now it's time to recover fast and prepare for Saturday."
The Lancers now have less than 48 hours to prepare for their second straight home game, which will pit them against VMI this Saturday, Sept. 2, at 2 p.m. That game precedes a stretch of four consecutive road games, which begins next Monday at ACC powerhouse Virginia Tech.
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