FARMVILLE, Va. – After winning game one of the back-to-back set over reigning Mid-American Conference regular season champion Kent State, Longwood field hockey took the Golden Flashes to the brink in game two.

However, Sydney Washburn's golden goal in overtime lifted Kent State to a 2-1 win on Saturday afternoon at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field. ­
 
Saturday's win snaps a two-game regular season win streak over the Golden Flashes for Longwood (2-1, 1-1 MAC), who dropped just their first game of 2021 after starting 2-0. By going to overtime, the Lancers secured the head-to-head tiebreaker over preseason No. 2 Kent State after winning game one of the series in regulation. With no MAC Championship Tournament in 2021, the regular season champion will receive the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
 
"Very tough game today," said Longwood head coach Iain Byers. "We played very good hockey at times, but we were a little disconnected. As a group, we saw some progress over the weekend, so we're happy about that."
 
For the third time in three games, Longwood got on the board first. Freshman Kate Frey received a pass from Sophia Loscher, reaching back and firing a one-timer past Flashes' goalie Azure Fernsler to put the Lancers ahead 1-0 in the first quarter.
 
Kent State scored the equalizer in the second, as Maria Cambra's pass into the circle made its way to her sister, forward Helena Cambra who ripped a powerful shot by Lancer goalkeeper Abigail Goldberg and leveled the score at 1-1.
 
This score would hold through the entire second-half despite quality scoring chances on both sides. After just one total shot was recorded in the third quarter, both offenses nearly found the game winner in the final 15 minutes.
 
Awarded a penalty corner with just over 13 minutes remaining, Longwood defender Kolbey Donahue received a pass across the circle and ripped a shot that beat Fernsler but trickled just wide of the cage.
 
Kent State turned up the offensive pressure in the closing minutes of regulation, but Goldberg stood tall in the Longwood net. The senior stopped two consecutive Golden Flash shots at the 10 minute mark before making her third save of the fourth quarter with under a minute left, turning aside Emma Bressler's penalty corner attempt and end regulation with the score still at 1-1.
 
The Golden Flashes finally broke through in the first overtime period. After Goldberg made her fourth save of the game on Cambra, Washburn pounced on the rebound and buried it to send Kent State to a 2-1 win. The sophomore ended with a game-high three shots, including two on goal.
 
In total, Kent State held an 8-7 edge in shots, while Longwood took four penalty corners and conceded just three to the Golden Flashes.
 
With their season series against Kent State complete, the Lancers will welcome preseason MAC favorite Miami to Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field. Game one of the back-to-back set is set for Friday, March 19 at 4 p.m.
 
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