By DERRICK BENNINGTON
LongwoodLancers.com

FARMVILLE, Va. – Last October Longwood University named its signature blue turf field at the Athletics Complex after field hockey great and longtime faculty member Dr. Elizabeth Burger Jackson. This Saturday, Sept. 16, the Lancers will honor an entire team of influential figures in from the field hockey program's decorated history when they welcome back the 1975-76 team, considered by many to be the best field hockey squad to ever wear the Longwood blue and white.
 
Along with fellow field hockey Lancers from the other teams in the decade of the 1970s, the 1975-76 team will attend Longwood's Saturday home game against LIU Brooklyn as part of a day-long festivity honoring those student-athletes who represented Longwood on the pitch during that decade.

The on-campus honor comes more than 40 years after the team strung together a season full of accolades, including a 16-5-4 record and the No. 6 national ranking, both of which remain the best marks in program history. The 27-member squad made one of the deepest postseason runs in Longwood athletics history, advancing to the AIAW-USFHA National Field Hockey Championship tournament where they earned a top-six finish.
 
"It was a great experience as it was a close bond among teammates," said Terri Sawyer, a member of that 1975-76 squad. "We were the 'Cinderella' team as we didn't initially qualify for the tournament. It was the first AIAW field hockey tournament held at James Madison University, and there was a team that couldn't make it – I think from California – so we ended up getting the bid! What made it special was that we went as far as we did."
 
In a field of 16 teams, Longwood earned two wins and advanced all the way to the championship game of the consolation bracket. The Lancers eventually fell to Lock Haven in the fifth-place game to cement their final 16-5-4 mark.
 
It was a relentless attack and overwhelming defense matched by the perfect scheme from coach Dr. Carolyn Hodges Crosby that made the 1975-76 team a force that could dominate opponents on both sides of the ball with quick strikes and an unyielding backline.
 
"I think we had an excellent coach who actually set us up in a different formation from the traditional one," said Carol (Filo) Lysher, a member of the team whose daughter, Lindsey, also played at Longwood from 2013-16. "It definitely went with our strengths and the types of players we had. We were able to capitalize on other teams because of this different formation. [Dr. Hodges Crosby] was definitely a coach where everything was positive, but she urged us to do our best. I just did well under those kinds of conditions."
 
That advantage created from a new playing style also led to many opportunities on the offensive end, ultimately translating to 68 goals, which shattered the school's previous single-season record. On the other end of the field, the defense posted 10 shutouts including a 3-0 opening-round victory over San Jose State of the AIAW-USFHA National Championship, their first of two wins in the national competition that season.
 
"She introduced us to a new system of play as we broke from the traditional formation of five forwards, three halfbacks, two fullbacks and a goalie," said Sawyer, who spent her entire career under the tutelage of Dr. Hodges Crosby. "She was a fair but firm coach who wanted the best from us and the best for the program."
 
Coming off a historic season in which they made the program's first Mid-American Conference Championships appearance, it's only fitting that the 2017 version of Longwood field hockey gets to welcome back the famous 1975-76 team. Thanks to four straight wins to open the season, the 2017 roster's 5-1 start is the best by any team since the 1970's.
  "I'm very excited about their start. There are very talented players that were coming back this season," Lysher said of the quick start to the 2017 season. "They have a very good mature class of juniors and seniors, and I'm really hoping they take it a little further than we did last season when we competed in the MAC tournament.
 
"Hockey has always been an important sport, so I'm just glad that they're continuing on with a coach like Iain Byers, who has recognized the tradition and plays into that. He's got a good program there."
 
When the Lancers take the field Saturday they'll boast a 3-1 home record since the turf was renamed in Dr. Elizabeth Burger Jackson's honor, dating back to last October when the playing surface was officially dedicated to the legendary field hockey athlete and professor.
 
Game time against the Blackbirds of LIU Brooklyn is set for 12 p.m. from the Longwood Athletics Complex with a special recognition ceremony at halftime for members of the 1975-76 team as well as student-athletes from other 1970's rosters.   
 
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