WEST POINT, N.Y. – After racking up 41 shots through two home matches to open the season, the Longwood men's soccer attack ran into a stiff Army defense in their road opener on Saturday night. The Black Knights blanked the Lancers 2-0 at Malek Stadium at Clinton Field.
Army (2-1) used a goal in each half on offense while holding the Lancers to six shots with a stalwart defensive effort. While the defense shut down Longwood (1-2), the offense compiled 16 shots with seven on target.
Oscar Pereira, the team's leader in points coming into the match, supplied the first half goal that proved to be enough, and Jack Eaton added a second shortly after halftime to give the Black Knights a cushion.
"We wanted more from this game, but, quite frankly, we didn't deserve it," said Longwood head coach
Jon Atkinson. "You have to earn the right to play, and we didn't overall, so we can't feel truly disappointed with the outcome as we didn't give our best effort.
"Army, as you expect, will work hard and try to wrestle the game from you. In the first half, we allowed that all too often. Yes, there were some moments, but not enough, and we have to own that."
For Longwood,
Markus Gronli and
Kidus Assefa each had a pair of shots as the Longwood offense started to find its footing a little more after halftime. Goalkeeper
Jacob Reimers made four saves, all after halftime, to keep the match within striking distance.
At the start of the match, Pereira helped set the pace on offense for Army while the Black Knight defense was impenetrable in the first 45 minutes. They didn't allow a shot from the Lancers, and Pereira drove home his team's lone shot on goal in the half in the 18
th minute off a nifty pass from Andrew Guerra that set him up at the penalty spot.
After halftime, Reimers made a spectacular save early in the second half, but Eaton scored on the ensuing corner kick, heading it home from the left side of the six-yard box.
The Lancers pressed forward, generating all six of their shots, including one on frame, in the final 45 minutes, but Army's defense fended off everything the Lancers threw their way.
"The second half overall was brighter, and we competed with more purpose and energy, however, only at the end did we truly ease off the handbrake and test Army," Atkinson said. "We still have plenty to work on before conference, and that is why you play these challenging games to know more about yourself. It's still very early in the season, and we got a lot of lads in the mix tonight. Some took their opportunity well, so I feel good that our squad will bounce back."
Longwood returns home to host American University in a week on Saturday, Sept. 11. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Longwood Athletic Complex, and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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