Sophomore goalkeeper Maria Kirby recorded 11 saves Sunday afternoon en route to a 1-0 shutout of in-state foe Richmond to secure women’s soccer’s fourth shutout of the season and their second win in the past three contests.
All four victories for Longwood (4-4-0) this season have come in the form of a clean sheet.
Kirby’s 11 saves tied the Longwood Division I record for saves in a contest set back in 2008 by Marcia Biddle in an Oct. 2 match against the Radford Highlanders. The Lancers also had two team saves to break the previous record, setting it at 13.
The sophomore’s performance earned her Big South Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Freshman forward Amber Gustafson scored her first collegiate goal in the first minute of the second half on an assist from freshman classmate Sydney Wallace, her first career assist.
The Lancers’ second half defensive performance was essential in securing the victory as Kirby tallied six saves with four coming during the six minute span immediately after Gustafson’s game-winning goal.
"Kirby played out of her mind in the second half and bailed us out with big saves on several occasions," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer on the official Longwood athletics website. "Our scoring chances were limited, but Gus (Gustafson) made the most of her opportunity when it was presented and that goal was the difference in the game."
The Spiders (2-6-0) sent 13 shots on goal, but saves from Kirby in the 85th and 89th minutes snuffed out any great scoring opportunity.
With Sunday’s shutout, Kirby is averaging just 0.79 goals per game and has a save percentage of 88 in her five appearances thus far.
The Lancers were able to take advantage of their six shots, sending three on goal, compared to Richmond’s 19.
"Richmond is always a big game for our program, and it's never easy," Dyer said on the official Longwood athletics website. "Our possession was sporadic in the first half, but we were able to hold things together defensively. Kirby kept us in it, and we took advantage of the scoring opportunity we had in the second half. Now all the focus is on High Point and the start of conference play Wednesday."
Sunday’s contest marked the end of nonconference play for the Lancers, as well as a five-game road swing that included trips to Virginia Tech, Western Carolina, VMI and West Virginia.
Longwood will welcome defending Big South Champion High Point (5-1-3) on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. as well as Coastal Carolina (4-4-0) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Sophomore goalkeeper Maria Kirby had a standout performance with 11 saves in Longwood's shutout 1-0 win against University of Richmond on Sunday, Sept. 20.
