LYNCHBURG, Va. – They've done it rain, shine, and now even in the face of an approaching hurricane.
 
Longwood field hockey raised the bar for itself once again and made history in the process, upsetting 20th-ranked and the NCAA's top scoring team Liberty 2-1 Tuesday morning for the program's first win over a top-25 team in the 14-year Division I era.
 
The milestone win came in comeback fashion thanks to a pair of second-half goals from freshman Luna Lopez and sophomore Charlotte Wilm, who helped the Lancers (4-1) overcome a 1-0 deficit in game that was moved to a rare morning start time due to the threat of inclement weather heading to the region by way of Hurricane Florence.
 
With less than 24 hours to adjust to the new start time, Longwood answered the early bell and dealt the 20th-ranked Flames (3-2) only their second loss of the season. The Lancers joined No. 3 Duke as the only teams to defeat Liberty this season, dousing a red-hot opening run to 2018 that has seen the Flames burn No. 17 James Madison, reigning Mid-American Conference runner-up Kent State and Longwood's fellow MAC member Ohio – all on the road.
 
"This is a huge moment for our program and one that we couldn't have reached without the contributions of all the players who came before this year's team," said Iain Byers, who now in his eighth year as Longwood's head coach is just four wins shy of reaching 100 for his career.
 
"It's very exciting for the team and the program to get a win against such a strong team. We played some of our best hockey and again relied on our defensive structure and tenacity to keep them at bay. Liberty has a very talented group of players, we did a very good job matching them. We always knew it would be a tough game, and I can't speak enough for the team to show that level of resilience today."
 
That resilience saw Longwood come back from a 1-0 halftime deficit on Liberty's home turf and hold the Big East's leading offense to their fewest goals, shots and shots on goal all season. Lopez provided the first spark of the comeback with her game-tying goal in the 49th minute, and Wilm followed with the go-ahead strike in the 57th.
 
From there, Longwood held the Flames to just two shots the rest of the way, the last of which All-MAC goalkeeper Katie Wyman knocked away with just 30 seconds remaining.
 
"Our defense up and down the field was amazing," Wyman said. "It was a very defensive game, and without that defensive effort from our forwards, our mids and our backs, we would have been done. Everybody did a great job across the field, and I couldn't have asked for a better defensive game."
 
Wyman donned a hero cape of her own Tuesday, turning away four of the five shots she faced to stymie the top scoring team in nation. Liberty entered the game averaging 4.47 goals per game but managed just five shots on goal against a Longwood defense that has now allowed just two goals in their past three games.
 
Wyman, the MAC leader in goals against average and save percentage, continued to anchor that backfield unit Tuesday, racking up four more saves, including on a penalty stroke six minutes into the second half.
 
Behind Wyman, Longwood held the Flames to their fewest goals, shots and shots on goal all season, allowing the Lancer offense to break through for the late-game heroics. Lopez provided the first of those, sneaking one past Liberty goalkeeper Allison Schaeffer to knot the score at 1-1 just over 13 minutes into the second half.
 
Liberty countered with two more shots over the next seven minutes, but Longwood's defense blocked the first of those and forced the other to skip wide past the Lancer net.
 
The momentum swung in Longwood's favor for good minutes later when the Longwood offense drew a penalty corner and Wilm – who initiated the ensuing corner play – followed Leonie Verstraete's shot with a putback that skipped into the left corner to give Longwood the lead for good.
 
"It was an amazing feeling, especially since it gave us the lead and put the game in our hands at that point," Wilm said. "We all knew the pressure went on Liberty at that point, so we were able to sit back and play defense and keep them out of our circle."
 
Liberty fought back and generated two scoring chances, but Jill Bolton sailed a shot wide with 7:04 remaining and then had a desperation attempt with 30 seconds remaining blocked by Wyman, sealing the Lancers' historic win.
 
Now the Lancers will enter the start of MAC play buoyed by three-game win streak and a 2018 resume that features only a 2-0 loss at the hands of No. 7 Virginia as the only blemish. Longwood's road to the program's first MAC Championship will start this Saturday, Sept. 15, at Central Michigan.
 
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