FARMVILLE, Va. – Powered by an early scoring surge, No. 6 seed Gardner-Webb rode goals from Samuel Catherall and Ryan Madondo to a 2-1 upset win over No. 3 seed Longwood in the opening round of the Big South Championship tournament Sunday at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
 
Both of those goals came in the first 15 minutes of the game and were enough to allow Gardner-Webb (5-11-1) to withstand a second-half response from the Lancers that featured an 86th-minute goal from senior Owen Ludlow. However, Ludlow's strike – which came on the rebound of a header from Andre Etxaniz that Runnin' Bulldogs goalkeeper Robby Spradlin deflected at close range – was the only blemish on Gardner-Webb's defensive resume.
 
With the win, Gardner-Webb leaps Longwood into the semifinals of the Big South Championship tournament and ends a 2021 season that saw the Lancers match a program record with a third-place Big South finish.
 
"Certainly not the result we wanted today, and a slow start probably contributed to the outcome, which we will have to learn from," said Longwood head coach Jon Atkinson, who led the Lancers to their second semifinal appearance of the program's Big South era.
 
"Gardner-Webb did a great job today. To come and take a road win in a conference tournament takes a lot of character, and I wish them well. In retrospect, it's been an incredibly positive season with an amazing bunch of lads and a senior class that can hold their heads high."
 
The Lancers entered the game short-handed, playing without midfield dynamo Leif VanSlyke who received two yellow cards in the regular-season finale against Radford Thursday. Longwood fell behind 1-0 in the 11th minute after Catherall headed a lofted pass from Sebastian Reventlow just inside the far post. That goal was Catherall's first of the season, while the assist was Reventlow's team-leading fourth, and swung the early momentum in Gardner-Webb's favor.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs mounted another attack just minutes later when Madondo – who entered the postseason ranked third in the Big South with seven goals – corralled a Gebrekiros pass behind Longwood's backline and beat Lancer goalkeeper Jacob Reimers one-on-one for a 2-0 lead.
 
Reimers and the Longwood backline bounced back into form after Madondo's goal and shut out the Bulldogs the rest of the way – thanks to two saves from Reimers and another defensive save by junior defender Sawyer Meehan – but Gardner-Webb's early lead proved too much to overcome. After creating six shots in the second half, including near-miss headers by David Rodriguez, Tosin Ayokunle and Etxaniz, Ludlow finally put the Lancers on the board by finishing off a rebound in front of the net.
 
That goal was the first of Ludlow's career but would be the last of the Lancers' 2021 season as Gardner-Webb kept Longwood out of scoring range the rest of the way.
 
"Finishing a program-high in the third spot in something to celebrate, and I'm sure all those associated with Longwood men's soccer are proud of this team's achievements," Atkinson said. "I can't think our seniors enough, and we wish them well."
 
Along with the Lancers' third-place Big South finish and 4-3-1 Big South record, Longwood outscored its Big South foes 15-11 and saw senior midfielder Markus Gronli finish in the conference's top five in goals, assists and points per game, and Reimers rank among the league's top four in goals against average, save percentage, total saves and shutouts.
 
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