FARMVILLE, Va. – In a season full of milestones, Longwood field hockey still has at least one it will have to put on hold.
 
Gunning for their first win over Mid-American Conference dynasty Kent State since joining the league five years ago, the Lancers (7-3, 2-1 MAC) took the Golden Flashes to the wire but fell 3-2 in double overtime Sunday afternoon at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field.
 
In a showdown between the on-the-rise Lancers and a Kent State (3-9, 1-1 MAC) team that has won three of the past four MAC Championships, Longwood came within inches of pulling out what would have been a statement win to the rest of the conference, but Kent State sophomore Emma Bressler scored the golden goal in the 86th minute to dash Longwood's upset aspirations.
 
Kent State becomes the first team to defeat the Lancers on their home turf this season, snapping an eight-game win streak on Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field that dates back to 2017.
 
"It's disappointing to lose in such a manner after fighting back so well from down a goal twice," said Longwood head coach Iain Byers. "We had the chance to win, and we're disappointed with the ultimate result, but we know we have another game against Miami coming up. If we do well there, we still have a chance at our goal of finishing in first or second in conference."
 
The Lancers twice rallied from second-half deficits, tying the game at 1-1 on senior Sophia DeFeo's equalizer in the 40th minute and again at 2-2 on junior goals leader Olivia Wawrzyniak's overtime-inducing strike off a penalty corner with just 4:22 left in regulation.
 
Longwood senior Leonie Verstraete even appeared to put the game away within the first minute of overtime, taking the ball all the way from midfield to the top of the arc and launching an eye-level rocket past Kent State keeper Mary Crumlish and into the back of the net. However, the celebration ended abruptly when officials ruled Verstraete's shot came from just outside the arc, negating what would have been a monumental golden goal and Verstraete's third game-winner of the year.
 
Following the overturning of Verstraete's goal, Kent State countered by drawing a penalty corner on their next possession, but Longwood goalkeeper Wyman came through with her fifth save of the game to keep Longwood's upset bid alive. It wasn't until Apelt sent a pass from the baseline through the arc to the opposite side of the net to Bressler that Kent State was able to pull out the win.
 
The win is the third overtime result in six meetings between Longwood and Kent State since the Lancers joined the conference in 2014. All three of those have gone to the Golden Flashes, including last season's 3-2 overtime finish in the semifinals of the 2017 MAC Championship. Four of Longwood's six losses to Kent State in that five-year span have come by just one goal.
 
Longwood drops to third place in the MAC standings, trailing first-place Miami by one game and second-place Ohio by a half game. The Lancers will have a chance to narrow the margin against both of those teams over the next two weeks, beginning with next Saturday's showdown against reigning champ Miami at noon and the following Friday's showdown against Ohio at 3 p.m.
 
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