September 22, 2008
FARMVILLE, Va. - The Lancers continue to ride high on cloud nine by extending their winning streak to four games, after defeating Davidson for the second time this season and then knocking off Stanford. Longwood tangled with Davidson on September 20, this time on the Wildcats turf, but just as before the Lancers cruised to victory, taking the game 2-1. The Lancers biggest test of the week came on September 21, when the team met up with a very strong Stanford Cardinal side in a neutral site conference game. The two teams battled strong, with the Lancers jumping on the board early, to only have the lead taken away in the start of the second half. The game would go into overtime, the first of the season for the Lancers, with senior Carla Binnewies taking the wheel and giving the Lancers the win four minutes into the golden goal period.
This week the Lancers face by far their toughest opponents of the season, as they play hosts to the defending national champion North Carolina and ACC powerhouse Wake Forest. The Tarheels, who ended last season with a 24-0 record, have already matched up with one NorPac team this season, taking down Radford 9-3 on September 21. Wake Forest is currently undefeated after finishing last season 16-6, which included a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Like UNC, the Demon Deacons have already faced one NorPac team this season, taking out Davidson 4-1 on September 21.
SCHEDULE:
Sunday, Sept. 28 - Longwood vs. #5 North Carolina, 1 p.m.
*Monday, Sept. 29 - Longwood vs. #1 Wake Forest, 6 p.m.
*The field hockey team will be helping raise money for Invisible Children, a program that is designed to help with the social problems in Africa, during the Wake Forest game. The team will be selling t-shirts, as well as accepting donations, in an effort to raise money for the cause. Anyone who is interested in helping further can contact assistant coach Chelsea Cipriani (ciprianicl@longwood.edu)
LAST WEEKEND:
Saturday, Sept. 20 - Longwood 2, Davidson 1
Sunday, Sept. 21 - Longwood 2, Stanford 1
WHO TO WATCH: Carla Binnewies has been on fire for the Lancers scoring three goals in the Lancers last two games, including the game winner over Stanford. Binnewies currently leads the team in goals with seven, while sophomore Lauren Van de Kamp leads the team in assists with five. Freshman Rachel Akers played the game of her young career against Stanford, helping limit the strong Cardinal offense to just one goal on six shots.
SERIES RECORD:
Longwood vs. North Carolina: First meeting
Longwood vs. Wake Forest: 2-4-2
LAST MEETING:
Longwood vs. Wake Forest: Longwood fell 8-0 in teams last meeting in 1994
QUOTABLE:
Head Coach Iain Byers on last week: I know I keep saying it, but I am just so proud of our girls. We continue to grow both athletically and individually every day. The girls are dedicated to playing Longwood field hockey and it has paid off with two huge victories last week. It’s never easy to play a team twice in one season, but we were able to once again get an important win over Davidson. The Stanford game was amazing. The Cardinals are such a good team and I?have to give them credit. They challenged us in every aspect of the game, but once again our girls showed their heart and the fight that we want Lancer field hockey to become known for.
Assistant coach Chelsea Cipriani on this week: We are trying to stay focused and not get ahead of ourselves. Right now we’re focused on getting the job done against UNC and making sure that we play our game and not let them dictate the rhythm of the game. As for Wake Forest, it will be an exciting game, not only because it will be our second ranked opponent, but because they are my alma mater. That doesn’t change the fact that I want the Lancers to come out on top.
Cipriani on Invisible Children: This cause is very important to everyone on our team. We want to be ambassadors for a better world, in which we all treat each other with the respect and dignity we all deserve. No matter how much money we raise, we just want to be able to give these people hope that a better day is coming.
Week #1: August 25-September 1
Week #2: September 1-September 8
Week #3: September 8-September 15
Week #4: September 15-September 22
