FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood field hockey's MAC-leading offense needed just 36 seconds to score its first goal Friday afternoon against Central Michigan.
 
They added six more by the final whistle.
 
On a picturesque, 72-degree day in Farmville, the Lancers (6-3, 2-1 MAC) set a program record for largest margin of victory in a Mid-American Conference game, routing Central Michigan 7-0 at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field.
 
Five different Lancers scored, including two-goal outbursts from All-Big South senior Luna Lopez and freshman Maroussia Walckiers, while senior Sophia Loscher dished her career-high three assists to three different teammates. Sophomore Kate Frey scored that opening salvo on a pass from Loscher to ignite a three-goal first quarter that set the tone for a dominant performance against the Chippewas (2-7, 1-2 MAC) the rest of the way.
 
"Scoring that first goal early made a big difference," said Longwood head coach Iain Byers, whose Lancers have amassed a league-leading 26 goals on the year. "On paper this was always going to be a really tight game, and I thought that early goal gave us a boost and put Central Michigan back on their heels a bit. I didn't expect it to be such a one-sided result, but we were just on it today."
 
The seven goals marked Longwood's second game with at least six goals this season and the program's first game with at least seven scores since an 8-1 win over Bellarmine during the 2021 spring season. The seven-goal differential surpassed Longwood's previous benchmark for a MAC game since joining the conference in 2014, which was a 5-1 win against Central Michigan on Oct. 22, 2016.
 
The victory was also Longwood's seventh straight in the series against Central Michigan and this year came against a Chippewas squad coming off a MAC upset over perennial power and 23rd-ranked Kent State, 1-0 this past Friday.
 
"We played really well together," said Loscher, whose four assists this season are tied for the MAC lead. "At the beginning of the game, we pressured them really well and played hard. We played our game instead of letting them play theirs. The first goal we had was a really good confidence booster, but we still didn't let up."
 
That pressure was a theme at all three levels for the Lancers, who outshot Central Michigan 20-4, scored three goals in both the first and third quarters, and engineered their MAC-leading fourth shutout of the season. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Madison Nuckols earned the shutout with a single save, as the Longwood backfield and midfield kept play largely in the Chippewas' half of the field and successfully defended five Central Michigan penalty corners.
 
That one-sided performance paved the way for the Lancers to put together their second game with at least five different goal scorers this season. Along with the two goals apiece from Lopez and Walckiers and the early go-ahead strike from Frey, senior defender Kolbey Donahue and freshman Hunter-Paige Johnson also scored.
 
With the win, Longwood vaults into sole possession of second place in the MAC, trailing only 3-0 Miami and holding a one-game lead over Ball State, Kent State and Ohio, who are all at 1-1 in league play.
 
The Lancers will have an opportunity to continue their climb up the conference leaderboard next Friday, Oct. 8, on the road against Kent State. That game tips off at noon in Kent, Ohio.
 
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