Longwood and Ohio Hold To Win Tight Matches
Thursday’s Scoreboard
Longwood 4, Appalachian State 3
Ohio 1, UC Davis 0
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Longwood 4, Appalachian State 3
Box Score
BOONE, N.C. – It's been a good week for Longwood field hockey.
Two days after being tabbed No. 20 in the first RPI rankings of the season, the Lancers moved to 2-0 in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play with a 4-3 golden-goal win over Appalachian State Thursday night at Adcock Field.
Olivia Wawrzyniak scored a pair, including the game-winning goal in double overtime to lift the Lancers to their sixth win in eight games to begin the season to ascend to the top of the MAC rankings. Wawrzyniak's second goal of the night came after the Mountaineers scored a late regulation goal to force the extra session.
"It was a battling performance," said Longwood head coach Iain Byers. "We moved the ball around well at times, but we just couldn't seem to execute in the final third like we would normally like to. The goal App scored on us late was a bit of a gut punch, but credit to this team for coming back. We talked about getting up off the canvas after taking a punch like that, and they did a really good job of that."
It marks the second consecutive campaign that Longwood (6-2, 2-0 MAC) has opened with at least six wins in its first eight games and moves Byers two wins shy of No. 100 in his Lancer career.
"It's such a great feeling being 2-0 in the MAC," said Sophia DeFeo. "We worked so hard for this, this is what our hard practices are for. Appalachian State is a great team and they really pushed us tonight. We're really gelling as a team. If we keep our momentum going, I'm excited for what we can do together."
Wawrzyniak's overtime winner followed a late goal from Appalachian State's Chloe Bell to send the game into the extra session. The pair of goals from Wawrzyniak hand her the fifth of the season, as the junior continues her breakout campaign.
"It was exciting to score the winning goal but it was nice to cheer with my teammates and get a second win in conference," Wawrzyniak said. "Overall, we didn't play our best game but I thought we were smart and were able to outwork them."
For a Lancer team that never trailed, DeFeo scored her second of the season 45 seconds into the second half, as she continues to her steady play along the Longwood forward line. The goal for DeFeo came off a feed from Leonie Verstraete, one of four assists for the Lancers in the game.
Freshman Luna Lopez continued her strong rookie campaign in the midfield, scoring her second in a four-game span.
The backline of Rio Weber, Kolbey Donahue and Clara Meschini limited the Mountaineers (6-2) to 12 shots, as reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Week Katie Wyman made eight saves.
"The key in tonight's win was our work rate, keeping composure and a positive attitude," DeFeo said. "I think that's what this team has over others. We work hard and have the attitude and will to win. On the field and off the field, we're great friends and that's what shows on the field. We support each other throughout the game even when it gets chaotic sometimes."
Rachel Gaines made 13 saves in goal for the Mountaineers while Ali Williams and Melissa Nobile added goals.
The Lancers will face a short turnaround, stepping out-of-conference with a trip to Davidson Friday, Sept. 21. First touch is set for 6 p.m. in Davidson, N.C.
Ohio 1, UC Davis 0
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio—After scoring the lone goal early in the game, the Ohio field hockey team (3-4) held off UC Davis (4-6) and won 1-0.
Starting off with a bang, sophomore midfielder Jillian Shive (Lebanon, Ohio) stole the ball and scored the lone goal of the game less than two minutes into play.
"It's always good to score as fast as you can," said Shive. "The second half they were coming very close [to scoring]."
For the remainder of the first half the Bobcats dominated with nine shots on goal over the Aggie's two. UC Davis fought hard in the last 35 minutes, registering four penalty corners and eight shots.
"We came out and we were ready," said head coach Ali Johnstone. "I encouraged them to keep those shots coming even if they go wide."
This game marks Ohio's second win in a row, giving them positive momentum to carry into MAC play.
On Sunday, September 23, the Bobcats return to Pruitt Field to play MAC opponent Central Michigan. The match will start at 12 p.m.
