Longwood University Athletics

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Two weeks ago, Longwood's women's soccer team got a wakeup call.
 
Nobody has been able to touch them since.
 
Extending what has become the most dominant active win streak in the Big South, the Lancers (6-5-3, 4-2-1 Big South) used a go-ahead strike from sophomore Madison Lockamy and the career-high eighth goal of the season from Emilie Kupsov to dispatch Campbell 3-0 Wednesday night and extend a four-game win streak that has moved them to within one point of first-place Radford in the Big South standings.
 
It was Radford that delivered that wakeup call on Sept. 26 when the Highlanders dealt the Lancers a 2-1 blow that was their first Big South loss of the season. However, in four games since, including Wednesday's rout over the Fighting Camels (4-8-1, 3-2-1 Big South), Longwood has outscored the opposition 13-1, recorded three shutouts and generated a shot differential of more than 12 attempts per game.
 
"Since the Radford game, we've been pushing each other harder at practice. Our communication's gotten a lot better through the back and through the middle, and we're connecting really well," said sophomore goalkeeper Madison Van Dyke, who has now allowed just one goal in her past 347 minutes in the net.
 
That surge, which also includes a 2-0 win over Presbyterian, a 5-1 win over Hampton, and a 3-0 win at USC Upstate, has moved Longwood into sole possession of second place in the Big South standings.
 
 "We're on a good winning streak right now, but we all know we can continue to get better," Van Dyke said. "We have so much potential and belief in each other. How we've come together these past four games, it's really starting to show."
 
The most recent win in Longwood's tear was a fourth straight multi-goal win saw Longwood surrender just four shots on goal, all of which Van Dyke saved for her fourth shutout of the season. The Lancer offense returned the favor with a first-half strike from Lockamy in the 34th minute and another goal from Kupsov fewer than 10 minutes into the second half.
 
The final goal was an own-goal gift from Campbell that padded the lead to 3-0 in the 64th minute.
 
"This is one of the harder places to play in our conference, so earning a result like this is something we appreciate," Longwood head coach Todd Dyer said. "We are moving the ball well,l creating chances and scoring goals.
 
"To coincide with that, our team defending is getting better and better. Most encouraging is that I think our best soccer is still ahead of us, so we will remain focused and try to continue raising our standard and level of play."
 
Longwood controlled possession throughout the night, snapped Campbell's four-game unbeaten streak and became the first Big South team since 2016 to win on the Fighting Camels' home turf. The win broke a nine-game home Big South win streak for Campbell, which began with a 1-0 win over Longwood nearly two years ago on Oct. 19, 2016.
 
"We were switching the ball very well through the back, finding [center midfielder Annie Boros] in the middle, and then switching again to get to the goal," Van Dyke said. "Locks and Kup did a great job finishing our chances tonight, and we had a lot of chances. We were all just pushing up together, pressuring tight, staying tight together and just shifting all around."
 
Just three games remain in the regular season for the preseason No. 2 Lancers, who will look to challenge Radford for the Big South regular-season title with an end-of-season gauntlet featuring Gardner-Webb, Winthrop and High Point.
 
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