SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Longwood women's soccer went back and forth in a see-saw match at USC Upstate on Saturday afternoon in Spartanburg, but USC Upstate (4-3-3, 1-0-1 Big South) edged the Lancers (2-9-3, 1-2-1 Big South) late 2-1.
Claire Schultz scored her first collegiate goal for Longwood, but Upstate's Nya Baccelli scored twice to give the Spartans the win.
SCORE |
1 |
2 |
FINAL |
LWU |
1 |
0 |
1 |
USCU |
1 |
1 |
2 |
19' | LWU—
Claire Schultz (1), assist
Meghan Piazza
22' | USCU—Nya Baccelli (5)
77' | USCU—Nya Baccelli (6), assist Adrianna Pepe and Kiley Johnson
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The match went back and forth as both Longwood and USC Upstate were evenly matched. The Lancers narrowly outshot USC Upstate 16-14 and had five corner kicks.
The pressure paid off in the 19
th minute.
Meghan Piazza curled a corner kick to the front of the six-yard box, and Schultz headed it straight home for a 1-0 lead. For Schultz, it was the junior's first goal after firing off six shots in the past two matches.
Piazza, meanwhile, recorded a point for a third straight match.
Baccelli answered back with a goal in the 22
nd minute to tie the match.
The Lancers created a plethora of chances from that point on, but the final touch never materialized. One of the best chances came after halftime, when Schultz found Piazza at the penalty spot, but the sophomore's shot sailed just high.
Finally, USC Upstate took the lead for good in the final 15 minutes. Kiley Johnson chipped a ball forward, and Adrianna Pepe slipped it off her head past the Lancer backline, where Baccelli just out-touched her defender to put it home for a 2-1 lead.
From that point on, the Lancers fired off three shots and had two corner kicks, but the equalizer remained just out of reach.
WHAT THEY SAID:
"That was a tight game the whole way, but in the end, they got two goals from their chances, and we only got one from the opportunities we created," said Longwood Head Coach
Todd Dyer. "And we had some really good looks at it, which makes it that much more disappointing on our end. All we can do is keep fighting until we find a way to capitalize in front of goal. This is a tough league, so we have to respond in a positive way when we get back on our home field this week."
UP NEXT:
Longwood returns home to host UNC Asheville on Saturday, October 12. It is Youth Day at the Longwood Athletics Complex, and the match will begin at 2 p.m.
#GoWood #HorsePower