FARMVILLE, Va. – A four-goal performance by Kelsey McDonnell and a trio of goals by Abby Osmeyer and Juliana George proved to be enough for VCU to pull away from Longwood lacrosse on Wednesday afternoon.
 
McDonnell helped VCU (2-2) get off to a strong start, with two of her four goals coming in the opening quarter. Meanwhile, Osmeyer posted her trio of goals after halftime to help hold the status quo against a Longwood (1-3) side that refused to go away.
 
For Longwood, a balanced attack saw three players score multiple goals, and goalkeeper Amelia Carlile tied a career high with 13 saves. Nicole Fordyce, Emily Cate Smith and Claire Libby all led the Lancers with two goals apiece, and Haley Moomau added three assists.

"I thought we displayed alot of grit, even in defeat," said Longwood head coach Elaine Jones. "The defense held up VCU multiple times, forcing their offense into shot clock violations, and once again, Amelia came up with a ton of saves. We transitioned the ball well, and I'm pleased that we cut our turnovers to less than half from our last game."
 
With VCU jumping out to a 6-1 lead after one quarter of play, Longwood rebounded in the second quarter. The Lancers outscored the Rams 4-2 in the period, with four different goal scorers as part of a multi-pronged attack.
 
Meanwhile, the defense stood firm, and Carlile made four saves, to limit VCU to two goals. Fordyce capped the period with a goal with 15 seconds before the half to bring Longwood within three.
 
VCU came out of halftime firing though, with McDonnell adding a goal while George scored two of her three as part of a 4-0 run by the Rams over the first seven minutes. Cate Smith and Ainsley Rowlison answered with goals for Longwood, but Osmeyer capped the period with a goal to give VCU a six-goal lead headed into the fourth quarter.

"The areas we are still working on are continuing to win the draw more and making the offense gel better," Jones said. "The offense had flashes of nice goals and assists, but we are still working on getting everyone on the same page. If we can do that consistently, I am confident we will see positive results. Overall, although we lost, I'm proud of th emental and physical toughness the team displayed today."
 
Both sides were locked in defensively in the fourth quarter, as the two teams only combined for three goals to give the final margin.
 
Longwood stays at home and will host Howard on Sunday afternoon for the team's third game as part of a four-game homestand. Sunday's game will start at 1 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN+.
 
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