FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood men's soccer put together a strong performance against a dynamic USC Upstate squad on Sunday afternoon, but Upstate squeezed out a goal to down the Lancers 1-0 at the Longwood Athletic Complex.
 
The Spartans (4-2-1, 4-0-1) came in averaging more than two goals per game on the season, but Longwood frustrated Upstate for a majority of the contest. Ultimately, Jeremy Montero's first half goal proved to be the difference, keeping Upstate unbeaten in conference play.
 
The Lancers (1-4-1, 0-3-1) were stout on the back line and bent, giving up 17 shots, but the team blocked shots and shut down space while limiting Upstate's golden scoring chances. Jacob Reimers totaled three saves on the shots that did come through.
 
On offense, Longwood created a flurry of chances with a furious final five minutes, but the team couldn't find the equalizer, pressing for 10 shots and a pair of shots on target.
 
"I couldn't ask much more from our lads in terms of effort and execution," said Longwood head coach Jon Atkinson. "They executed a sound game plan to stifle a potent USC Upstate team, and I think both goalkeepers having a combination of five saves to make tells you just how evenly contested this game was."
 
The Lancers outshot Upstate in the first half, 6-4, but the Spartans used a swift and deadly counterattack to notch the game's only goal. Montero slotted home a pass from Pol Monells for his third goal of the season in the 29^th minute.
 
While Upstate poured on pressure looking for insurance early in the second half, Longwood held firm. As the clock began to wind down, Longwood pressed forward and had both a free kick and a corner kick turned aside in the final five minutes of the match.
 
"Where I feel we can improve more is our overall ball retention to allow clearer pathways to present our final third output, which didn't have a lot to go on, especially in the second half," Atkinson said. "This will come in time. Right now we are growing well. It's been a bit unfortunate with some key injuries, but we are still moving forward. While we will all feel down by the loss, we can look at the man in the mirror and be encouraged by what stares back today."
 
The Lancers have a break before diving back into conference action against Campbell on Wednesday, March 24. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Longwood Athletic Complex.
 
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