FARMVILLE, Va. – Twice American tried to pull away from the resilient Lancers, but twice Longwood refused to let them. In the end, a late goal by the Eagles was just enough to decide the game.
 
All-Patriot League attacker Emma Vinall notched seven goals for American, who snuck by Longwood 20-19 on Saturday afternoon at Elizabeth Burger Jackson field. Facing deficits of 7-1 in the first half and 17-13 in the second half, the Lancers were able to twice rally to regain the lead against the Eagles (3-0) before Vinall was able to break a 19-19 tie with 1:35 remaining in regulation for what proved to be the game-winning goal.
 
The Lancers had seven separate goal scorers for the second straight game, led by five from senior Dana Joss, tying her career high in goals from April 14, 2018 against Big South foe Presbyterian. Emma  Johnson and Kaitlin Luccarelli both notched four goals for Longwood (1-2), while Kaylen Karnes, Lexi Davis, Haley Moomau, and Molly Barkman all scored for the second straight game—Davis also tallied a team-best three assists.

"Our team's effort all game was outstanding," said head coach Elaine Jones. "Our ability to come back from being down several times shows a strong mental toughness mentality and a willingness to continue to battle until the last whistle blows. We gave ourselves the opportunity to win the game, and we were just a bounce of the ball away from having that happen. 

"I thought Dana [Joss] kept us in the game with her ability to get after draw controls even though American dominated that area, and Kaitlin [Luccarelli], Dana, and Emma [Johnson] all did a great job getting to goal, even though they were being tightly marked. Our defense had some great stands, but we allowed American too many easy opportunities to score."

In total, Longwood outshot the Eagles 40-35 on the afternoon. In goal, Emma Curtis led the Eagles with nine saves in relief of starter Delaney Oliveira. Danielle Burke, who took over in goal in the second half for Longwood, notched seven saves in a strong half of work to keep the Lancers in the game. The Lancers defense, led by Olivia Zubillaga, Jordan Howard, and Corri Calandra, forced ten turnovers each half.
 
American built a 7-1 first half lead after a 5-0 run spearheaded by Vinall and sophomore Katie Pierce, who each notched two goals during the 4:18 stretch. However, the Lancers immediately responded with a 6-0 run of their own that saw four different players tally goals and evened the score at 7-7. Luccarelli's goal at the 4:34 mark of the first half gave Longwood their first lead of the game, 10-9, but American was able to scramble back in front at the half, leading 13-11.
 
After the Lancers notched the first two goals of the final stanza from Joss and Luccarelli to knot the score at 13-13, the Eagles opened up a 4-0 run to jump back ahead, 17-13. Longwood was again up to the task, surging to a 7-1 run over the next 13:42 to take their second lead of the game, 19-18, with just over five minutes to play.
 
Kendall Goldblum tallied the equalizer for the Eagles with 3:44 remaining, and Vinall tallied her 18^th goal of the season and seventh of the game with 1:35 remaining to put American ahead for good.

"Overall it was still a great effort that fell just short of our expectations," added Jones. "We must continue to diligently work on and improve specific areas of our game so the next time we can come away with the win."
 
Up next for the Lancers is a trip to Greenville, N.C. for a matchup with East Carolina. Play is set to start at 4 p.m.
 
#GoWood