Spartanburg, S.C. – After an overtime win in Spartanburg against Wofford early in the week, a return trip saw Longwood on the wrong side of the scoreboard against Big South newcomer USC Upstate in a 1-0 loss.
 
USC Upstate (3-8 overall, 1-3 Big South) picked up its first win in the Big South by counterattacking Longwood's possession game throughout the first half. It paid off in the fifth minute as Pascal Corvino finished off a strong cross for the game's only goal.
 
"How do you begin," said head coach Jon Atkinson. "It doesn't feel good for sure, and we have to own it and move on with the belief that we can mount a second-half charge in the conference. We have made it mighty difficult."
 
Goalkeeper Jacob Reimers gave a fantastic effort to keep Longwood (5-6 overall, 0-3 Big South) in the contest as USC Upstate continually turned over the Lancers and fired off 10 shots in the first 45 minutes. No save was bigger than a penalty kick stop in the 24th minute after Upstate drew a foul in the box. Reimers stonewalled Michael Chappelear and swallowed up his shot to keep his team within range. The junior finished the night with five saves.

Longwood's possession was able to create a handful of opportunities, with the team's best chance to tie the match turned aside in the 13th minute. Off a strong cross inside the six, USC Upstate's goalkeeper made a fingertip save to send Filip Hinge's shot over the top of the crossbar.

After halftime, the Lancers dominated possession and tightened up the turnovers that plagued them in the first half, but the finishing touch still eluded them. The team outshot USC Upstate 10-4 in the final 45 minutes to go with seven corner kicks, but the Spartans were able to withstand the pressure and keep Longwood out of the back of the net. Mikel Abando led the team with three shots, with all three coming after halftime.
 
"It was not a good idea to produce a turgid first half performance which lacked control, and this ultimately took us down," Atkinson said. "It shouldn't have. I thought we had enough to turn it around, and while we may have bossed the second half, the reality is that we didn't have the composure to craft high quality chances to climb out of the hole."
 
 Longwood heads home to take on Winthrop on Tuesday, October 15 in a match that will mark the halfway point in conference play. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Longwood Athletic Complex.
 
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