ANNAPOLIS, Md. – When Longwood men's soccer saw an opportunity on Friday night, the team pounced. Two goals within a two minute stretch powered the Lancers (3-0-1) past Navy (2-3) 2-0.
 
An own goal opened the scoring under hard pressure up top from the Lancers, and then Simao Coelho ripped home a stunner 2-0 at the interval.
 
SCORING
 
               1             2             FINAL
LWU      2             0             2
NAVY    0             0             0
 
42': LWU—Navy own goal
44': LWU—Simao Coelho (1)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Longwood weathered an early storm from Navy as the Midshipmen fired out of the gates to open the match.
 
The Lancers were able to dig in and defend before starting to build and exert pressure of their own as the first half wore on against the reigning Patriot League champions.
 
Finally, in the 42^nd minute, the Lancers got a gift. Navy played a ball back to the goalkeeper, who lined up to clear it. Darcy Moffat charged in hard behind a Navy defender, and the goalkeeper cleared it off the defender and into the back of the net for a 1-0 Longwood lead.
 
Coelho then worked his magic just two minutes later. With Longwood on the counter, Coelho raced down the sideline before cutting to the edge of the box. He evaded one defender and then zipped a frozen rope to the opposite post to make it 2-0.
 
From that point on, the Lancers managed to keep the preseason Patriot League champs at bay and salt the match away. While Navy posted 11 second half shots, only three were on target. Sophomore goalkeeper Max Hinke turned aside each one and ended the night with six total saves.
 
The Lancers posted 11 shots on the night while Navy had 17.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"Navy is a very hard place to come to and get a result," said Longwood Head Coach Jon Atkinson. "This was by no means our best performance. Actually, we were made to suffer as Navy poured on the pressure late on. Having the insurance goal was certainly a lifeline as we lost our way, and hard work and grit just about got us over the line."

"To win on the road takes character, and we have plenty of it," Atkinson added. "The staff are delighted with the application of this group, and we are eager to get back to the training ground in readiness for next Tuesday."
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood stays on the road for a second straight match and heads to Liberty on Tuesday, September 12. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the match will be aired on ESPN+.
 
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