Longwood University Athletics

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood field hockey's home field advantage is alive and well at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field.
 
Remaining unbeaten on their blue turf at the Longwood Athletics Complex, the Lancers (7-4, 2-2 MAC) got two goals from senior Sophia Loscher and routed visiting Davidson (2-10) 4-0 Sunday afternoon to improve to 4-0 in Farmville.
 
The win was a bounceback effort following this past Friday's late-game 3-2 loss at No. 24 Kent State in which the MAC powerhouse Golden Flashes scored twice in the final three minutes of regulation to spoil the Lancers' upset bid. Longwood had no such trouble protecting its net Sunday against Davidson, as goalkeeper Madison Nuckols made four saves and the Lancers limited the Wildcats to just four shots on goal for the game.
 
"We definitely like playing on our home turf," said sophomore Zoe Tierney, who played 32 minutes off the bench. "And usually we get a bit shaken up playing the second game in a weekend, but I think being at home was a good thing for us.
 
 "We changed the lineup a bit, and it's working really well for us. Isis [Vrolijks] is in the middle, which is new, and the forward line is working really well together. We've been working at practice on constant inside and outside passes and aerials, too; that worked out really well for us this game."
 
That work paid off throughout, as Longwood built a 2-0 lead by halftime and punctuated the win with two more goals in the fourth quarter. Loscher bookended that scoring outburst with the game's first goal 15 seconds before the end of the first quarter and another in the 52nd minute. In-between, fellow senior Luna Lopez and sophomore Kylie Levine also scored to contribute to Longwood's fourth game with at least four goals this season.
 
Loscher's two-goal game extends a torrid streak for the Heidelberg, Germany, native, who has amassed nine points in her past four games and is tied for the team lead with four assists. During that stretch, she also contributed three assists in the Oct. 1 win against Central Michigan and the game-winning goal in a 3-1 victory against Saint Francis on Sept. 25.
 
Longwood dominated throughout Sunday's runaway win against Davidson, outshooting the Wildcats 21-8 and putting 13 of those shots on goal. Wildcat goalkeeper Cato Roell made eight saves but could not slow down the Lancers' penalty-corner setup, as Longwood scored three of its four goals on set-piece chances.
 
The Lancers will continue their four-game homestand next Friday, Oct. 15, in a return to Mid-American Conference play when league rival Appalachian State comes to Farmville for a 5 p.m. matchup. That will be the first of two weekend home games, with Commonwealth power Liberty coming in two days later for a 1 p.m. rivalry showdown Sunday.
 
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