DAVIDSON, N.C. – For not having played a game in 16 months, Longwood field hockey showed no signs of rust in the 2021 spring opener.
 
Led by goals from senior Karly Harwood and freshman Isis Vrolijks and a stifling defensive effort, the veteran-laden Lancers (1-0) aced their first test of the season by taking down Davidson 2-1 for a season-opening road victory Saturday afternoon at Belk Turf Field.
 
Playing their first game since a semifinal defeat in the 2019 Mid-American Championship on Nov. 8, 2019, the MAC's preseason No. 3 Lancers piled up an early 2-0 lead against the Wildcats and used a staunch defensive effort to make that lead stand up for a season-opening win.
 
"It was a good win against a very tough, committed opponent," said Longwood head coach Iain Byers. "We played very well, and it provided some good lessons for us as a group. We're excited for the next stage of the season. Getting into conference play so soon is going to be a challenge, but Davidson did a great job and we were really proud of our performance."
 
Keying that effort from the back line was the junior trio of Kolby Donahue, Luna Lopez and Rio Weber, and fellow starting sophomore Caroline Verhappen, all of whom helped to hold Davidson's attack to just four shots, only two of which were on goal. Senior goalkeeper Abigail Goldberg was the beneficiary of that performance and a late game-winner from Harwood, needing just one save to pick up the win in her first career start.
 
Harwood picked up where she left off from her breakout 2019 campaign, putting Longwood on top for good with a go-ahead strike in the 49th minute. Fielding a pass from junior teammate Sophia Loscher, Harwood stuck in her only shot of the game to increase Longwood's lead to 1-0 and give the Lancers enough cushion to absorb a follow-up goal from Davidson midfielder Evie Lake just over one minute later.
 
Longwood's one-goal lead prompted Davidson to pull its goalkeeper for the final 5:55 of the game, which created enough of a numbers advantage to create one last scoring opportunity for the Wildcats. That last attempt came from Corynne Hammit, who found a shooting window at the 55:03 mark and send a shot toward the Lancers' net, but Goldberg was there to knock it away and preserve the one-goal lead.
 
Along with Harwood's goal, which was her first after leading the team with 10 as a junior in 2019, Vrolijks put Longwood on the board just 17:29 into the game. That goal was the first career strike for the freshman from The Netherlands, who connected with her fellow freshman Kate Frey for a one-timer in front of the net.
 
The win over Davidson comes in one of three non-conference games this season for the Lancers, who will now embark on conference-heavy stretch that includes 10 consecutive games against MAC foes. The Lancers will face each of their MAC rivals twice in consecutive game days, beginning this Friday and Saturday with matchups against perennial MAC Championship contender Kent State at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
 
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