CLINTON, S.C. — The Longwood women's soccer team fell 1-0 to Presbyterian on Saturday, surrendering a second-half penalty kick in a Big South Conference matchup at Martin Stadium.
Julija Poplašen converted from the penalty spot in the 70th minute, scoring at 69:30 to give the Blue Hose the decisive goal and hand the Lancers their second consecutive conference defeat.
"That's a tough loss but we put ourselves in a position where a result like that could happen," Longwood head coach Todd Dyer said. "Our effort wasn't good enough and our soccer wasn't good enough on either side of the ball. A performance like that will never be good enough so we better figure things out quick and make some changes moving forward. It all falls on me, first and foremost, and I will embrace the challenge of motivating this team and finding our best form. Our standards and expectations are simply higher than this."
Longwood (6-8-2, 3-4-0) and Presbyterian (4-9-1, 1-5-0) played to a scoreless draw through the first half before Poplašen broke through in the second. The Lancers had opportunities to respond but could not find the equalizer.
Longwood finished with nine shots, including three on goal, while Presbyterian recorded eight shots and put six on target. Longwood sophomore goalkeeper Lexie Miller made her first collegiate start on her birthday and came up with five saves to keep Longwood within striking distance.
Presbyterian goalkeeper Alexa Garcia recorded three saves to secure the shutout. Both teams finished with three corner kicks.
The victory for the Blue Hose snapped the Lancers' seven-match unbeaten streak in the series. Longwood now leads the 9-4-6 all-time.
The Lancers closes the regular season Saturday, Oct. 31 at Gardner-Webb. Kickoff in Boiling Springs, N.C., is set for 6 p.m., and will be streamed on ESPN+.
