LYNCHBURG, Va. – Emily Cate Smith had two goals and an assist for Longwood, but Liberty women's lacrosse used a couple of scoring bursts to take down the Lancers (0-1) 16-4 on Saturday afternoon.
 
Cami Merkel led the Flames (1-2) with five goals.
 
RESULTS:
 
               1             2             3             4             FINAL
LWU      1             1             1             1             4
LIB         5             4             5             2             16
 
Top Performers:
LWU: Emily Cate Smith—2G, 1A
LWU: Morgan Badger—3CT
LWU: Miranda Helfenbein—4GB, 3CT
LWU: Ellie Rumbaugh—4GB
LIB: Cami Merkel—5G
LIB: Katie Colavito—2G, 5GB, 6CT, 4DC
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
The game was a defensive battle early. While Liberty struck first on Mackenzie Lehman's goal, both sides didn't give up another until Longwood equalized in the ninth minute.
 
Emily Cate Smith tallied her first goal of the season off a feed from Sophia Passa to knot the score at one apiece.
 
From there, the Lancers and Flames kept each other off the board through solid defense until late in the quarter. Liberty scored four goals in the final 3:15 to take a 5-1 lead after 15 minutes.
 
Riley McDonald, by way of Smith, struck first in the second quarter for Longwood to cut the lead to 5-2, but again the Flames answered. Merkel scored a goal quickly in response, and Liberty pushed the lead to 9-2 at the half.
 
From that point on, the Flames kept the Lancers at bay.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"Our first game is done, and we have lots to build on going forward," said Longwood Head Coach Kylar Ferguson. "Liberty is a great ASUN team that played with speed. That was especially good for us and our younger players. There is lots of potential amongst this group, and we're excited to keep working for the next one."

NOTABLES:
 
Holly Hill scored her first collegiate goal for Longwood.
 
Smith had a multi-goal game to open her 2024 campaign.
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood returns home to host Kennesaw State next weekend on Saturday, February 24. The opening draw is set for 1 p.m. at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower