FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood women's soccer team returns home to take on East Tennessee State Sunday at 4 p.m., at the Longwood Athletics Complex on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
- Bailey Altizer scored her first collegiate goal early in the second half and the Longwood women's soccer team went on for its second consecutive victory, beating VMI, 1-0, at Patchin Field in non-conference action on Thursday.
- Altizer, a sophomore transfer from Eastern Kentucky and native of Mechanicsviile, Va., broke a scoreless deadlock in the 51st minute, getting onto the end of a Sarah Olson ball.
- On the goal, sophomore Reese Coggeshall corralled a bouncing ball at midfield and found Olson out wide. Streaking down the right, Olson hit Altizer in front, and she poked it past VMI goalkeeper Maren Ryberg for the lead. The assist was the second in as many matches for Olson.
- Longwood controlled much of the offensive action, outshooting VMI, 16-12, and putting eight shots on goal.
- Longwood freshman goalkeeper Brynn Clagett made one save — on a 90th-minute attempt by Nixon Carpenter — to earn her second the shutout of the season.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST ETSU
- ETSU holds a 2-1-0 edge in the all-time series with Longwood, winning last season's meeting on Aug. 31 with a 61st-minute Reagan Fitzgerald goal.
- Longwood beat the Buccaneers on Sept. 14, 2012 in Farmville, 2-1, on tallies from Samantha Phillips (22nd minute) and Bridget Bergquist (69th).
SCOUTING ETSU
- The Bucs have started the season 2-1-0. Following a season-opening 4-0 loss at Vanderbilt Aug. 16, ETSU has reeled off consecutive shutout victories, beating West Georgia at home, 1-0, Aug. 20 and UNC Asheville on the road, 2-0, on Aug. 23.
- ETSU was picked in a tie for second place in the Southern Conference preseason poll, with Reagan Fitzgerald, Ella Parker, and Georgia Shields receiving preseason all-SoCon accolades. The trio played and started all 19 games for the Bucs last season, and Fitzgerald enters her senior year in the top 10 in program history in points, goals, and shots attempted and is tied for third in game-winning goals.
- ETSU goalkeeper Addison Yelton was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on Monday with a pair of two-save clean sheets against West Georgia and UNC Asheville.
BERNICE!
- Junior Berni Wayland was named Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
- A West Linn, Ore., native, anchored a backline that limited American to just two shots, including one on goal, as Longwood blanked the Eagles, 3-0, on Sunday.
- Wayland played all 90 minutes in the Lancers' first win of the season and also did so in the season opener against Campbell on Aug. 13.
- The weekly honor is the third of Wayland's career. She earned Big South Freshman of the Week plaudits in consecutive on Oct. 14 and 21, 2024.
A LOOK BACK
- Longwood went 9-7-3 overall and 5-3-0 in the Big South, posting its best record since going 13-5-3 overall and 6-1-2 in the league in 2017.
- The Lancers advanced to at least the Big South semifinals a season ago for the fifth time in program history.
- Forward Sam Fischer was named Big South Freshman of the Year and first team all-league. She was joined on the all-conference team by first-team defender Sydney Robertson, second-team midfielder Meghan Piazza and second-team goalkeeper Sara Curtis.
FRESH FACES
- Longwood has added eight newcomers to its 2026 roster, including four transfers and four freshmen.
- Among the transfers are junior Maddy Howells (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) and sophomores Bailey Altizer (Eastern Kentucky) Brooke Owens (VCU) and Farmville native McKenna Vogel, who spent her freshman season at Campbell.
- Vogel, coached by Stuart Carilli at Prince Edward County High School, appeared in 10 matches, making two starts, for the Camels in 2025.
LANCERS PICKED THIRD IN BIG SOUTH POLL
- Longwood was selected to finish third in the Big South preseason coaches poll, announced on Aug. 6.
- The Lancers earned 63 points in the poll to finish ahead of USC Upstate in fourth with 58 points and the remaining first-place nod. Charleston Southern (43 points) was fifth, followed by Winthrop (32) in sixth, UNC Asheville (29) in seventh and Gardner-Webb (22) in eighth. Presbyterian rounded out the voting in ninth place with 13 points.
- High Point (76 points, seven first-pace votes and 76 points) is the preseason favorite in the league. Radford was chosen second with 69 points and one first-place nod.
- It marks just the third time in history the Lancers were picked in that position. Longwood was also third in 2019 and 2014, respectively.
FISCHER BIG SOUTH PRESEASON FORWARD OF THE YEAR
- Sophomore Sam Fischer was named Big South Preseason Forward of the Year in the Big South.
- Fischer is just the second Longwood player to earn a major preseason award since the Lancers joined the conference for the 2012 season. Sydney Wallace was Big South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.
- Fischer, the Big South Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-league pick last season, led the Lancers in goals (seven) and points (16). She was named Freshman of the Week two times and Player of the Week once while playing in all 19 matches with seven starts.
- Fischer opened her Longwood career with nine points in her first three matches on four goals and one assist.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Five Longwood players were named to the Big South Top Returners Watch List, the league announced on Aug. 5.
- On the watch list — which includes selections from each of the league's head coaches and returning all-conference honorees — were forwards Peyton Curney and Sam Fischer, midfielders Meghan Piazza and Coryn Silberstein and defender Berni Wayland.
O CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
ONE AND ONLY
- Now in his 33rd season with the Longwood women's soccer team, head coach Todd Dyer is the only the coach to lead the program since its inception in 1994.
- Dyer, a 1993 Longwood graduate, has a 302-226-62 (.564) overall record, including a 143-55-30 (.693) mark in conference.
- Dyer also coached the Longwood men's soccer team for seven seasons from 1996-02, going 75-53-7 (.581) overall.
NEXT UP
- The Lancers are back on the road at Richmond on Thursday at 5 p.m., on ESPN+.
- The Spiders hold an 8-5-4 edge in the all-time series, which began in 2006.
