KENNESAW, Ga. – A big second and third quarter powered Longwood lacrosse past Kennesaw State 12-11 on Sunday. Riley McDonald posted three goals to lead a balanced attack that saw six Lancers (2-0) score, and Amelia Carlile led the charge on defense with 15 saves.
 
SCORE
 
                1Q          2Q          3Q          4Q          Final
LWU        4              3              3              2              12
KSU        3              0              2              6              11
 
Top Performers:
Riley McDonald: 3G, 1A
Emily Cate Smith: 2G, 4A
Amelia Carlile: 15 Saves
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Longwood's defense locked down early, and the offense shared the wealth to give the Lancers their second straight road win to start the 2023 campaign. Riley McDonald had a hat trick with goals, and Emily Cate Smith posted two goals and four assists.
 
In the first quarter, Longwood had four players score, with Harper Melton's goal with five seconds to play in the quarter giving the team a 4-3 lead after the first 15 minutes.
 
The Lancer defense turned its area into a no fly zone in the second quarter. Amelia Carlile had seven saves in the quarter. Meanwhile, the Lancers didn't allow Kennesaw State to score for a 19-minute stretch that extended into the third quarter.
 
Meanwhile, the offense picked up where Melton left off and ripped off six straight goals. Ellie Rumbaugh scored twice in that stretch, with her second goal giving the Lancers a 9-3 lead early in the third quarter.
 
Kennesaw State ended the run in the third quarter and trimmed the lead to five after the quarter was over, but McDonald pushed it back to six with a goal early in the fourth.
 
The Owls ripped off five goals over a six minute stretch to cut the lead to 11-10, but the Lancers stemmed the tide. Neither side scored before Smith slotted one home with 1:08 to play to put Longwood back up by two. Kennesaw State cut it to one with 30 seconds left, but Julia Koenig controlled the ensuing draw to help the Lancers finish the game.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"It was a strong start by a solid team that persevered through to the end," said Head Coach Kylar Ferguson. "It's a sign of great things to come."

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
 
The Lancers scored within the first two minutes of the second, third and fourth quarters. The team has now scored in the first two minutes of a quarter seven times in eight quarters this year.
 
Amelia Carlile totaled 15 saves in goal. It represents a season high for her and is two shy of her career high.
 
The Lancers won back-to-back games to start the season for the first time since 2013. The Lancers went 4-0 to start that season, their first in the Big South.
 
The six different goal scorers was a new high for the Lancers. They had five different goal scorers in their season opener.
 
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