Despite a valiant effort, the Longwood women’s soccer team’s season came to an end on Nov. 4, as No. 1 seed High Point topped the Lancers 1-0 in overtime. The loss came in the semifinal round of the Big South Tournament, ending the No. 5 seed Lancers’ upset-filled run in Greensboro, N.C.
"It stings to lose in the end like that, but give High Point credit for grinding out a result in the end," said head coach Todd Dyer on the official Longwood athletics website. "I'm proud of our team and going into overtime of the semifinal against the regular season champion, and No. 1 seed speaks volumes about our program."
Grinding was certainly the right word to describe this encounter between two teams that battled to a 0-0 draw during the regular season. The Panthers came in as favorites, having won the regular season title. Meanwhile Longwood arrived on the back of three straight victories, including a shootout win over Gardner-Webb in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
High Point pushed forward from the opening whistle, tallying eight shots in the opening 45 minutes. But the Lancer backline, led by sophomore defender Sydney Wallace and junior goalkeeper Maria Kirby, kept the Panthers at bay while firing in four shots of their own.
The second half was a more defensive affair for Longwood as they faced five shots, but failed to put an attempt on target themselves. Dyer’s side looked to push the game to overtime and snatch a winner then, and forced the sudden-death period.
However in the 94th minute, junior midfielder Becca Rolfe scored a golden goal off a set piece to send the Panthers to their second tournament final in three seasons.
"We had our chances to win and were in the game to the very end and ultimately a set piece was the deciding factor," Dyer said on the official Longwood athletics website.
The loss signaled the finale of the careers of five seniors, forwards Amanda Spencer and Christina Corbin as well as defenders Gina D’Orazio, Jessica O’Bryant and Jayden Metzger. Spencer finishes her collegiate career as one of the best players in Longwood and Big South history, as one of only 24 players to receive All-Big South honors in each of her four seasons.
"There's a lot of love and character in our Longwood soccer family led by a special group of seniors," Dyer said on the official Longwood athletics website. "I'm sure we'll all grow from this experience."
Dyer and his squad will hope to go even further next season, which will make 24 years at the helm since founding the program in 1993.
