BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Two of the nation's top goal scorers found the back of the net in the second half as Longwood men's soccer rallied for a 2-1 road win at former Big South counterpart Campbell on Tuesday night.
Junior
Brando Bedolla pulled the Lancers even at one with a beautiful free kick midway through the final half, and classmate
Joshwa Campbell added the winner in the 78th minute. With the victory, Longwood improved to 4-0 for just the fifth time in school history and the first time as a Division I program.
The Camels (0-4) took a 1-0 lead with just eight minutes remaining in the opening half. Off a corner kick, the service deflected off the back leg of Davis Reid inside the box, and Augustus Squillace cut in front of graduate student goalkeeper
Nicolas Pucci to redirect the ball into the left side to put the home team on top, 1-0.
Despite allowing the goal, Pucci turned in a strong first half, recording three of his four saves on the evening.
It looked like the Lancers would have an uphill battle in the second half when sophomore defender
Benjamin Ferrero was shown a second yellow card in the 57th minute. It would have put Longwood down a man for the remainder of the match, but upon video review, the call was reverse and the foul was whistled on Campbell, resulting in a Lancer free kick.
Bedolla created a free kick chance from 20 yards out as he was tripped up, making a move toward goal in the 67th minute. The junior forward scored for the fourth-straight match, rifling a shot off the near post and into the back of the frame. Bedolla is tied for the national lead in points with 13 (four goals and five assists).
Sophomore forward
Youssef Shafei gave Longwood a man-advantage in the 73rd minute. After a misplay by the Campbell defense, the Camels' Brendan Lauder was shown a straight red card after pulling down Shafei from behind on a breakaway opportunity.
Just five minutes later, Campbell gave Longwood the lead for good. On the play, the Lancers switched field to Ferrero along the right side of the penalty area. He played it to Campbell who transitioned the ball to his left foot before scoring inside the left post from just inside the top of the 18-yard box. It was Campbell's fifth goal of the season, which ranks second in the country. The assist was Ferrero's first of the season and second of his career.
Quotable
"I give a lot of credit to Campbell. They made things really difficult for us in the first half and put us in some really difficult situations. I'm so proud of the guys' response in the second half. This team's character continues to show up in tough situations, and we found our way a little bit. We will enjoy the win tonight, but I think we have a lot to learn from this match as we look forward to ETSU on Saturday." - Head Coach
Paul Gilbert
Scoring Summary
37' | Campbell – Augustus Squillace (Davis Reid / Xander Martin)
67' | Longwood –
Brando Bedolla (unassisted)
78' | Longwood –
Joshwa Campbell (
Benjamin Ferrero)
Up Next
The Lancers continue their week on the road with a trip to ETSU on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Johnson City, Tenn.
