FARMVILLE, Va. – The score may have said 0-0, but the 90 minutes to get there featured plenty of fast, high-level soccer when Longwood women's soccer hosted Western Carolina on Thursday night.
 
The Lancer (3-3-1) defense did the dirty work in a physical, rugged performance to blank the preseason favorites and reigning regular season champs from the Southern Conference.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The match went back and forth, with each team creating dangerous chances and both sides ringing the woodwork. WCU (2-3-2) opened on the front foot in the first five minutes, but Longwood stabilized quickly.
 
While WCU posted 19 shots, the Lancer back line limited the chances in front of goal, and goalkeeper Sara Curtis swatted aside the seven shots that were on target. The seven saves were one shy of her career high, and the Lancer defense picked up its second shutout of the 2025 campaign.
 
Meanwhile, the Lancer offense was dangerous in both halves despite not finding the back of the net.
 
Coryn Silberstein ripped off back-to-back shots in the first half that were the top scoring chances in the opening 45 minutes. First, she forced a leaping save from Western Carolina's Leanne Trudel, and then she rang the crossbar 33 seconds later.
 
After halftime, Karleigh Minson headed home a goal on a corner kick that was waved off to deny Longwood the lead.
 
WCU made a late run at the goal, but again, the Lancers were able to fend off the aggressive Catamount attack to keep a clean sheet.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:

"The result is a positive for us, considering who we were playing", said Longwood Head Coach Todd Dyer. "They've been one of the top teams in the Southern Conference the last two years and picked number one in the preseason poll this year. We were being dangerous. We had our opportunities. We were in the game the whole time, competing. I thought it was kind of a rugged performance for us, and so I think we can be better in a lot of areas. But at the end of the day, you want to be in a game with a chance to win, and we certainly did all that, so credit to our girls for battling tonight against a really, really good team."
 
ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• This is the fourth year in a row that Longwood and Western Carolina have tied in their matchup history
• This match is the third time both teams have tied 0-0 in the past four meetings
• For Curtis, it is her eighth shutout as a Lancer
• WCU outshot Longwood 19-8, but the shots on goal were much tighter, with WCU putting seven on target to Longwood's four

UP NEXT:
The Lancers continue their four-game homestand on Sunday against Appalachian State with kickoff slated for 2 p.m. The match will air on ESPN+.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower