NORFOLK, Va. – Trailing late in the second half, Old Dominion senior Sophia Richie played hero and scored twice in the final three minutes to cap an 11-9 comeback win over Longwood Sunday afternoon at  L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
 
Richie's end-game heroics were part of a four-goal day for the senior midfielder, who scored three of those in the second half as the Monarchs (3-8) overcame a 9-6 deficit with under nine minutes to play. Richie gave Old Dominion a 10-9 lead with a go-ahead free position goal with 2:13 to play and then put the game away with 48 seconds left when she punched in another to run the lead to 11-9.
 
Her final two strikes overcame a team-wide offensive effort from the Lancers (2-6), who got two goals apiece from juniors Dana Joss and Kaitlin Luccarelli, and first-year standouts Taylor Blenckstone and Nicole Fordyce. Luccarelli added three assists en route to her eighth multi-point game of the season.

"We had a great gameplan going into the game to make sure we didn't give up a ton of goals and get in a hole early," said Longwood head coach Elaine Jones. "The good news is that it worked very well for the majority of the game. Our defense was outstanding, so that was really encouraging. However, the bad news is that after we worked so hard to create a lead, we let ODU go on a run in the last seven minutes of the game, which ultimately cost us the win."
 
The game was a physical showdown between two hard-nosed teams, as Longwood and Old Dominion combined for 33 fouls and five yellow cards. That produced 12 free-position shots for the teams, but the Monarchs took advantage in those, netting 4-of-7 while the Lancers came up empty on their five attempts thanks to an 11-save day from Old Dominion goalkeeper Haleigh Wurzel. Wurzel saved four of those five free-position attempts she faced, while Longwood hit the post on the other.
 
Old Dominion's defense returned the favor to their keeper in the final nine minutes, adjusting to Longwood's high-powered offense in time to hold the Lancers to just one shot the rest of the way. Wurzel saved that lone attempt as Old Dominion outscored Longwood 5-0 over the final 7:16 of the game, ultimately tying the score on Mary K Maloney's equalizer at 4:33 and going ahead for good on Richie's final two strikes.
 
That 5-0 endgame run completely flipped the tables on the Lancers, who entered halftime with a 4-3 lead and built that to as many as three goals during a 4-1 run midway through the second half. Junior Dana Joss scored both of her goals during that run, while Luccarelli also scored and dished an assist to Fordyce. Emma Johnson added another goal with 9:24 to play that extended Longwood's lead to 9-6, but that would be the last time Longwood found the net.
 
Old Dominion's leading goal scorer Glory Johnson started the game-changing rally with her third goal of the game, beating Lancer sophomore goalkeeper Laura O'Toole in a free-position shot with 7:16 to play. That was only the second free-position goal O'Toole allowed to that point in the game, but it was enough to jumpstart Old Dominion's offense to the tune of five unanswered goals.
 
Claire Porter followed with an unassisted goal at 6:24, setting the stage for Maloney's equalizer at 4:33 and Richie's game-winner and insurance goal in the final 2:13.
 
The Monarchs fired eight of their 31 shots during that final nine minutes to overcome a hot start from O'Toole, who saved 11 of the 22 shots she faced.

"We need to continue to work on retaining the information given in practice and during the game, while also executing the gameplan consistently on offense and defense for the entire 60 minutes," Jones said. "If we can achieve these things, then we will come out on the winning end."
 
The loss comes in the second of three straight road games for the Lancers, who will end their road gauntlet with a trip to Mount St. Mary's this Wednesday, March 20. That game will tip off at 4 p.m. and will precede the Lancers' non-conference finale against East Carolina at home on March 23.
 
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