HARRISONBURG, Va. -Longwood men's soccer had its five-match, season-opening win streak snapped on Friday night as James Madison handed the Lancers their first setback, 2-0, at Sentara Park.
James Madison scored twice in a six-minute span in the opening half to secure the victory. The Lancers (5-1) played shorthanded on the evening without the services of junior forward
Brando Bedolla. He entered the day leading the country in assists (7) and ranking second in points (15).
JMU (2-4) struck first in the 13th minute. The Dukes were awarded a penalty kick after a Longwood handball in the box. Graduate student goalkeeper
Nicolas Pucci came up big to stop Manuel Lolas's PK, but the rebound parried back to Lolas who finished into the right side.
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Lolas and Carlos Tur combined for the second JMU goal just six minutes later. Lolas made a move up the left flank and found Tur inside the penalty area. The Dukes' striker finished with the right foot just inside the right post.
The Lancers, which had rallied from a second-half deficit in its nation-leading three road wins, put the pressure on in the second half. Longwood generated five shots in the final 45 minutes, including a chance with 11 minutes remaining off the foot of senior
Ezrah Serralde that rang off the left post.
Pucci posted five saves on the night to keep the Lancers within striking distance.Â
QuotableÂ
"It was a tough night for us. I felt like we never got into a real rhythm and moved them defensively as much as we would have liked. It has been an incredible start to the year, and I think we can learn a lot from this match as we move forward." - Head Coach
Paul GilbertÂ
Scoring Summary
13' | JMU – Manuel Lolas (unassisted)
19' | JMU – Carlos Tur (Lolas)
Up Next
The Lancers return home to host Navy on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. from the Longwood Athletics Complex, and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
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