The Longwood University men's soccer squad played three games over the past week. The team defeated UNC Greensboro 2-0 on the road last Wednesday night in North Carolina. Junior Patrick McDaniel scored his first goal of 2011 in the fifth minute. Sophomore Nick Surkamp put the game out of reach for the home team with a goal in the 58th minute. Senior goalkeeper Joel Helmick had his fifth shutout of 2011 for the Lancers.
Longwood outshot UNC Greensboro 17-14 (8-6 shots on goal). The Spartans held a slight advantage in corner kicks, 10-8. Zach Crandall of Longwood had seven shot attempts (three on goal) which led all players. Helmick had six saves in the shutout. Hakan Ilhan and Austin Miller each had three shot attempts. Davis Griffin, the Spartan goalie, had six saves in the loss.
The next game for the Lancers could not have been more one sided in their favor. The men played against Howard University on Saturday, Oct. 22 and defeated the Bison 5-0. The game was held at the Athletics Complex in Farmville. The five Lancer goals were scored by five different players, including senior Zack Mahon and Nick Surkamp who had a goal and one assist apiece.
Longwood got on the board first in the 13th minute when Surkamp sent a ball Mahon's way. Mahon fired a shot that flew past the Bison goalie into the net. Two more Longwood goals were scored in the 31st minute alone. Crandall scored after a shot from the right side at 30:06, and Surkamp scored on a header after an assist from Mahon at 30:59. Longwood held a commanding 3-0 lead at the half. The Lancers also held a whopping 16-1 edge in shots attempted.
Longwood junior Niels van Pelt scored a fourth goal in the 49th minute after the second half got underway. The nail in the Bison's coffin came when freshman Peter Sullivan scored on a penalty kick in the 71st minute.
"This was a crucial test for us today, that we came through with flying colors," said head coach Jon Atkinson on longwoodlancers.com. "Having dug a hole in New York, we had to get back on track with a conference win to set up a do-or-die encounter with Houston Baptist next Friday. We asked the lads to be focused and disciplined, and stick to a game plan whether we got the early goal or not. I'm delighted that they executed so the squad could enjoy what turned out to be a comfortable night. As a coach, you don't get too many games that roll your way and we will enjoy it for the short time before we soon get back to action against a potent High Point team on the road."
Longwood really did dominate Howard on both sides of the ball. The Lancers held a 24-3 edge in shots (14-2 shots on goal). They also had a 12-2 edge in corner kicks. Crandall had a game-high eight shot attempts. Van Pelt had four shot attempts, and Surkamp and senior Chris Saul had three shots. Joel Helmick played 75:30 for Longwood before taking the rest of the night off and making way for freshman Paul Hegedus, who played the remainder of the game. The five goals scored were the most scored by the men's team since Nov. 2, 2002.
The men's soccer team capped off the week by playing at High Point University last night. The Lancers came away with a big 2-1 victory against the Big South opponent, improving their record to 10-6-1. The team is currently riding a four-game win streak. The Lancers play again on Friday, Oct. 28 at the Athletics Complex in Farmville. Friday's game is Senior Night for the men's team. The team will be taking on Houston Baptist with first kick at 7p.m.
