FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood lacrosse hung around early against Mercer with a solid defensive effort, but the Big South favorites eventually muscled past the Lancers (1-14, 1-7 Big South) 19-1.
 
Abby Morrison and Caroline Glus led Mercer (10-7, 7-1 Big South) with five goals apiece.
 
For Longwood, Jordan Fitzgerald scored the team's lone goal, and Amelia Carlile and Cybella Smith combined for 14 saves in a solid effort in goal.
 
SCORING:
               1             2             3             4             FINAL
MU        4             5             6             4             19
LWU      0             1             0             0             1
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
The first quarter was a defensive struggle between the two teams. A youthful Lancer side stubbornly refused to bend much against a high-powered Mercer attack, and the Lancers forced six turnovers.
 
Morrison gave the visitors the lead early, but Longwood kept it there at 1-0 for the next eight minutes.
 
Longwood had chances to tie it up, but a pair of shots were turned aside by Kayla Casey.
 
Glus put one home on a free position for Mercer, and she and Morrison scored one more time in the quarter for a 4-0 lead.
 
Again, Longwood's defense was tough to score on in the second quarter, but Mercer slowly wore down the Lancers to extend the lead to 9-0.
 
Fitzgerald finally lifted the lid off the goal for the Lancers on offense with her 16^th goal of the season with eight seconds to play in the half to trim it to 9-1.
 
After halftime, Mercer pulled away to put the game to rest.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"I'm glad all our seniors were able to play today," said Longwood Head Coach Dwayne Hicks. "It's been a tough season, but I'm proud of this team. They worked hard, played hard, and never gave up. That shows a lot of pride and heart."
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood's regular season is complete. The team will return to Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field in 2026 to chase the Big South title next spring.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower