RICHMOND, Va. — Madie Wessel made the most of her first career start Thursday, making six saves to record her first career shutout as Longwood women's soccer team and Richmond played to a 0-0 draw at President's Field at River Road.
Wessel, a junior from Sewell, N.J., turned aside all six shots on goal by the Spiders — including five after halftime — for the Lancers. She was particularly busy early in the second half, making three saves in a span of just 67 seconds to keep Richmond off the scoreboard.
Wessel also made a key stop late in the match, thwarting a bid from Richmond forward Emma Newman in the 83rd minute to preserve the clean sheet.
"That was definitely a grind, but our team endured and earned another shutout on the road," Longwood head coach Todd Dyer said. "Our soccer was good at times, especially early in the first half, and we created a couple decent looks in front of goal. We knew we'd have to suffer at times in the heat and we showed that grit as we have all season. Madie made a huge save at close range from a corner kick and that was huge in helping us preserve the shutout and point on the road."
The Lancers finished with three shots on goal among their six total attempts. Richmond held an 8-6 advantage in shots and put six attempts on target, but Wessel and the Longwood defense kept the Spiders scoreless for all 90 minutes.
Longwood had its best chances in the first half, with goalkeeper Veronica Rrapi making three saves on shots by McKenna Vogel, Phoebe Ganion and Peyton Curney. Neither team was able to break through, sending the match into halftime scoreless.
Richmond applied pressure immediately after halftime, but Wessel answered each challenge. She stopped shots by Julia Lishia, Christina Stamoulacatos and Jess Moylan in the opening 1:47 of the second half before making two more saves later in the period.
The shutout was Longwood's third of the season and improved the Lancers to 2-3-1. Richmond moved to 2-0-3. It marked the second draw in as many meetings between the teams, as they played to a 1-1 deadlock Sept. 11, 2025 in Farmville.
The Lancers return to action Sunday hosting Hampton at the Longwood Athletics Complex. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., and will be streamed on ESPN+.
