FARMVILLE, Va. – The weather may have been cold and delayed the start of the fourth and final game of Longwood lacrosse's four-game homestand, but the Lancers weren't.
 
The Longwood (3-3) defense was nigh impenetrable, stifling Saint Francis to pave the way to a 17-5 win on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Lancer back line didn't allow a goal until the final minute of the first quarter while also limiting the Red Flash (1-4) to 13 shots on goal. Amelia Carlile posted a .615 save percentage while making eight saves.

"I'm very proud of our team's effort in getting the win today," said Longwood head coach Elaine Jones. "We spent all spring break working diligently on lacrosse and continuing to build our team chemistry as well as our understanding of the game. I think today's result was a great representation of those efforts.

"Also, one of our goals was to make sure we competed at a high level for each quarter, and I felt we achieved that goal today as well."
 
Meanwhile, Claire Libby, Emily Cate Smith and Ainsley Rowlison did the finishing for a Lancer offense controlled the game. All three posted career highs in goals, and Longwood raced out to a 6-0 lead behind a dominant first quarter. Libby had five goals while Smith and Rowlison each nabbed four, with Libby also adding two assists. Nicole Fordyce and Haley Moomau each added a team-high three assists, with Moomau pitching in three goals as well.
 
Smith opened the scoring less than 60 seconds into the game, and the trio of Libby, Smith and Rowlison each scored twice in the first 15 minutes for the commanding 6-0 lead.

"I really credit our players because the game was delayed an hour due to field conditions, and they really stayed focused and were ready to go as soon as they stepped on the field," said Jones.
 
After Saint Francis trimmed it to 6-2 early in the second quarter, Longwood clampbed back down on defense to extend their advantage back to six goals to lead 9-3 at the half.
 
The defense suffocated Saint Francis later, shutting out the Red Flash over the final 21 minutes of game action as the Longwood offense pulled away.

"Moving forward, each opponent presents different challenges," Jones said. "So while we celebrate this win, we will certainly keep learning and growing, not only with our lacrosse skills but also our mental side of the game."
 
The Lancers head back on the road for back-to-back road contests before opening conference play at the end of March. The team heads to George Washington for a Saturday afternoon match at 1 p.m. on March 19 before traveling to William & Mary on Wednesday, March 23 to play at 4 p.m.
 
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