BOONE, N.C. – An 18th minute strike from Appalachian State forward Reed Hunnicutt and stellar defense down the stretch led the Mountaineers to a 1-0 win over the Longwood men's soccer team Saturday night at Appalachian Soccer Stadium at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex.

The win pushes the Mountaineers back to the .500 mark at 3-3-1 overall, while the Lancers fall to 0-4-1 to open the season after playing Saturday's game without the services of 2016 NCAA-assist leader Dan Campos.

"It's not a place we want to be in but the reality is we aren't winning games," said Longwood head coach Jon Atkinson. "Defensively, we're in every game but without goals, we're struggling to gain momentum and putting pressure on our performances. Our final-third play is not good enough at the moment and we'll look to do better as a coaching staff and players alike."

Longwood nearly scored the game's first goal in the early portions of the game, as senior defender Marten Pajunurm sent a cross through the box that eluded three different Lancers by inches right in front of the goal.

Hunnicutt was delivered a through ball in the middle of the box from teammate Juan Hernandez, before connecting for his first goal of the season to beat Longwood goalkeeper Lance Da Silva.

Longwood's best chance for the equalizer came in the 82nd minute, as Eoin O Donovan nearly tallied his first goal of the season but ultimately hit the goal post. From there, Longwood one additional quality chance two minutes later with O Donovan's second of a team-high three shots on target sailed high off a corner kick.

The goal from Hunnicutt was one of three shots allowed on goal by Longwood goalkeeper Lance Da Silva and the Lancer back line, as Da Silva made three saves on 11 total shots. Meanwhile, Jake Chasteen made two saves on 11 Longwood shots.

"I have every faith that we have enough in the locker room to turn the corner," Atkinson said. "The schedule has been tough on purpose and the challenges will define us."

Following the completion of its difficult four-game stretch on the road, Longwood returns to the Athletics Complex to play for the first time in nearly a month when the Lancers host William & Mary. That game is set to be played Wednesday, Sept. 20 beginning at 7 p.m., and is scheduled to be broadcast on the Big South Network.

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