Longwood University Athletics

FARMVILLE, Va. – A back and forth match between Gardner-Webb and Longwood men's soccer ended in heartbreak for the home side on Sunday afternoon. Gardner-Webb tallied the game's final two goals, including the match winner with five minutes left to take down a spirited but shorthanded Longwood squad 3-2.
 
Ryan Madondo and Abel Gebrekiros did the damage for the Runnin' Bulldogs (3-3, 1-2 Big South), with Madondo answering both times Longwood took a one-goal lead, his second and third goals of the season. Gebrekiros tallied the heartbreaker with five minutes left on a counterattack, driving home a cross from Nicolas Engelking that Longwood goalkeeper Jacob Reimers deflected but couldn't envelop.
 
Markus Gronli led a Longwood (0-3-1, 0-2-1 Big South) squad that was missing two starters and had a third, Jonas Kalchner, exit due to injury in the first two minutes. Gronli banged home a goal, his first of the year, while also notching a beautiful assist to Dylan Matheny for the freshman's first goal of the season, and the Lancers posted a season-high 10 shots.
 
"This wasn't an easy one to swallow, as we lost the lead twice—once 30 seconds after scoring the go-ahead goal," said Longwood head coach Jon Atkinson. "That stuff can't happen. While we had some very bright moments in the game, similarly we had a lot of head-scratching moments which left the game in the balance. Great for the neutral supporter and even better for Gardner-Webb who showed good character to bounce back twice, but the bottom line is it's not good enough and not what I expect from us if we want to be a team contending at the top end. The lads know it, and I hope we can see a collective response from here on in."
 
At the start of the match, the two sides traded possession, with the Lancers breaking through first in the 21^st minute thanks to Gronli. Off a long, looping cross-field pass from Mason Butcher, Gronli broke down his defender inside the box and pegged a rocket into the far corner to put the Lancers up 1-0.
 
Madondo had the answer five minutes late for Gardner-Webb, tapping home a cross from Gebrekiros that leveled the score at one.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs applied pressure down the stretch of the first half, but the Lancer back line stayed stout, fending off eight other shots from the visitors.
 
In the second half, Longwood again struck first. In the 78^th minute, Gronli lofted a free kick from about 25 yards out straight to Matheny's head. The freshman buried the chance to give the Lancers a 2-1 lead, but again, Madondo answered. Less than a minute later, Madondo tapped home his second goal on a scramble inside the box off a cross from Dylan Dominguez.
 
Gebrekiros touched home the deflected cross in the 85^th minute to give Gardner-Webb its first lead of the afternoon. The Lancers rallied and earned a corner with three minutes left, and Gronli touched a beauty into the box. Three Lancers put their heads on it, with one attempt blocked, one saved off the line by a reflex save from Gardner-Webb's Daniel Husa and the final attempt nodded over the bar.
 
Longwood heads out on the road for a midweek non-conference tilt at Virginia Military Institute on Wednesday, March 10. Kickoff is at 4 p.m.
 
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