FARMVILLE, Va. – In a dominating performance on both sides of the ball, Longwood women's lacrosse beat Delaware State 16-4 on Thursday evening at Elizabeth Burger Jackson field.
 
Matching a season-best offensive output with 16 goals while conceding their fewest goals of the season, the Lancers led wire-to-wire while outshooting Delaware State 33-12. Thursday's performance included a 10-0 lead at halftime, not as they did not concede a goal until 34:45 into the game. Their shutdown defense complemented an offense featuring nine different goal scorers, including hat tricks from Taylor Blenckstone, Emma Johnson, and Emily Cate Smith.
 
"I was proud of our team's effort today and happy to see them earn their first win," said Longwood head coach Elaine Jones." Our defense was solid, especially in the first half, while our offense was able to stick to the game plan and spread the ball around. It was nice to see such a variety of different scorers and players assisting. We still need to continue working on our execution in certain areas and different situations, but overall I'm pleased with our team's performance today.
 
"It was great to see our parents back in the stands. I credit our athletic administration with creating an attendance policy that allows family members to attend games, while making sure health and safety protocols are met and enforced."
 
The Lancer defense was led by the back line of Hannah Tirrell, Rachel Abraham, and Lauren Cerretani, who held the Hornets to just five shots on goal. Goalkeeper Kylee Wright was the beneficiary, facing just three shots over 56 minutes of action, recording a save in her first career win.
 
As a team, the Lancers caused eight turnovers and scooped 17 ground balls, pouncing on a Delaware State team that racked up 18 turnovers. Longwood also held the Hornets to a 7-of-12 mark on clear attempts while securing 15-of-21 draw controls, highlighted by seven from All-Big South Preseason midfielder Dana Joss.
 
"I thought both ends of the field really connected today and played for each other," said Longwood defender Hannah Tirrell. "Going in, we knew we had to follow the game plan, keep energy and that every detail matters so it feels nice to finally get that win."
 
Three Lancers tallied hat tricks for the second time this season, as Smith, Johnson, and Blenckstone all tallied three goals and at least one assist on Thursday evening. The mark is a career best for the freshman Smith, who has racked up nine points across four games to begin her collegiate career. Jade O'Connor scored two goals for the first time this season, as Joss, Nicole Fordyce, Harper Melton, Haley Moomau, and Kaylen Karnes rounded out the Longwood scoring sheet.
 
Blenckstone, who leads the team and ranks second in the Big South with 14 assists, added two more against the Hornets— the performance was her third five-point game of 2021, the most on the team. Nicole Fordyce also tallied a pair of helpers for the second time in 2021, as Longwood ended with a season-best eight assists from six different players.
 
"Today was a great team win," said Longwood midfielder and captain Emma Johnson. "We had a lot of girls contribute on the offensive and defensive side. It really was two sides of the field playing together, for each other. It was a great opportunity to put our best foot forward and get a team win."
 
Longwood dominated from the opening draw control on Thursday, opening the game on an 11-0 run to take a commanding lead. Eight different Lancers scored in that stretch, as they outshot the Hornets 23-6 over the first 32:12 to take an 11-0 lead into the second half.
 
After Delaware State answered with a 2-0 run, Longwood again unleashed a frenzy of offense, scoring the next five goals to inflate the lead up to 16-2. In total, 33 shots were a season high, and their most since recording 40 shots against American on Feb. 22, 2020, while the 12 shots faced marked the fewest since Feb. 17, 2020 against Delaware State.
 
"We've been focusing on our communication and playing as a cohesive unit," added Tirrell. "I think that with how today went, we are beginning to click and this is the start of our momentum as we finish non-conference."
 
The Lancers will play their penultimate non-conference game when they head to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, March 24 to face American.
 
#GoWood