FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood women's soccer and Elon were almost perfectly matched on Thursday night, and the two sides drew 0-0 after 90 minutes at the Longwood Athletic Complex.
 
For the Lancers (1-1-1), Mary Kate Levush piled up five saves, and the back line kept a clean sheet for a second straight match. The front line generated 10 shots, but the Elon (1-0-2) back line was up to the task as well.
 
SCORE:
 
                              1             2             FINAL
Elon                      0             0             0
Longwood          0             0             0
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
The two sides tied for a second straight season, but this time, the match was back and forth for a full 90 minutes.
 
Last year, Elon outshot Longwood 31-10. This time, the Lancers again fired off 10 shots, but Elon only had 11. Longwood also won the possession battle by a hair.
 
The Lancer front was dangerous and active early, and it led to a handful of dangerous chances in the opening 45 minutes. Peyton Curney, the reigning Big South Co-Freshman of the Week, tested Elon's Anna Hamner with a shot, and Sydney Robertson just missed heading a corner home. Karleigh Minson also had a pair of shots in the first half that were just off the mark.
 
Meanwhile, Levush turned aside Elon's Jordan Green late in the first half with a sprawling save that kept the score level at 0 at the break.
 
After halftime, Elon came out the aggressor for the first 15 minutes, but Longwood bounced back over the final 20 minutes. Both sides created chances in front of the goal, but Levush again came up with big Saves, and McKenna Dalfonso did the same for Elon.
 
The Lancers had the last chance in the waning seconds, as Curney forced a turnover and rampaged forward. She was pulled down from behind just outside the box, and Meghan Piazza's curling free kick pinged the top of the crossbar with 11 seconds to play.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"That was a wild ride, and I definitely believe both teams deserved the result in the end," said Longwood Head Coach Todd Dyer. "As open as the game was, I'm very pleased that we earned the shutout. We battled for 90 minutes and definitely had some quality possessions and attacking moments in the game, even hitting the crossbar in the last 11 seconds. Elon is a top program that clearly outplayed us last year at their place, so we've obviously made some progress because tonight was pretty even."
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood heads on the road to take on American on Tuesday, August 29. The match is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
 
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