FARMVILLE, Va. – In a matchup that saw the top-three goal scorers in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) take the field, it was Miami's (OH) Paula Portugal who came away with the upper hand, scoring a pair to lead the Redhawks past the Longwood field hockey team 4-0 Saturday afternoon at the Athletics Complex.
 
Portugal, who outdueled Longwood's high-powered combination of Leonie Verstraete and Olivia Wawrzyniak, with a pair of second-half goals to help lead Miami (OH) (9-4, 4-0 MAC) to its fourth straight win in conference. Portugal, the MAC's leading goal-scorer with 15 on the season, scored her two goals in a 55 second span.
 
The Redhawks were able to overcome a team-leading eight shots from Verstraete, while Sophia DeFeo had a pair.
 
The loss for Longwood (7-4, 2-2 MAC) marks the first time this season that the Lancers have dropped back-to-back games with those games coming against powerhouses in the MAC in the Redhawks and Kent State.
 
"That was a difficult performance against a great Miami team," said Longwood head coach Iain Byers. "We just couldn't get it out of the backfield and didn't really execute very well. While we're disappointed, we still have two big games in conference play before the tournament."
 
In goal, Maddie Passarella made five saves to earn her fifth shutout of the season, while Katie Wyman finished gave up four goals on 15 shots faced, only the second time this season that she has yielded four or more goals.
 
Taylor Curran opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, after finishing a cross from Noor Breedijk. Allie Grace Joyner also got on the scoresheet, with her fourth goal of the season less than six minutes into the second half.  
 
Longwood will have a chance to rebound Friday, Oct. 12, welcoming Ohio to the Athletics Complex. First touch is set for 3 p.m., as the Lancers will honor their four seniors – Sophia DeFeo, Kourtney Landis, Elle Richardson and Leonie Verstraete – before the game.
 
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