"Goals win games." That was about all men's head soccer coach Jon Atkinson had to say following his team's loss Saturday night. The Lancers dropped a 1-0 nail biter against the Ospreys from the University of North Florida. North Florida freshman midfielder Mauricio Valderruten scored in the 88th minute to give the Ospreys the victory.
Longwood attempted 11 shots, six of which were on goal. North Florida attempted only seven shots, five of which were on goal. The Lancers controlled possession for most of the game, but were unable to capitalize on any of their chances. The Lancers also attempted four corner kicks to the Ospreys one. The Lancers also outshot the Ospreys 6-3 in the second half.
In the 25th minute of the opening half, the Lancers had a good opportunity to score, but were unable to do so. Senior midfielder Chris Saul was able to get off a good shot from the left corner of the penalty box, but it sailed just over the right corner of the goal. The Lancers had another chance to score in the 55th minute when Saul set up freshman forward Anthony Ugorji with a beautiful through ball, but Ugorji's shot was stopped by the North Florida goalkeeper.
Longwood's goalkeeper, senior Joel Helmick, recorded four saves and was three minutes away from recording his eighth career shutout. But in the 88th minute, North Florida was able to break loose for a three on one opportunity. Valderruten maneuvered around the Longwood defender easily with only the keeper to beat. One on one with Helmick, Valderruten dribbled around the right side of the penalty box, allowing him to score what would be the only goal of the game.
The game was very chippy on both sides from the very beginning. There was one yellow card given out in the first half to Longwood's junior midfielder Adel Sarras. In the second half, Saul for Longwood and North Florida's freshman defender Alek Slaveski received yellow cards, while Longwood junior midfielder Vinnie Llana was given a red card.
The Lancers are currently 1-2 this season with plenty of games yet to be played. The team has lost their last two games, including a loss on Aug. 30 against Liberty. Longwood will be back in action this Saturday, Sept. 10 when the Dukes of James Madison University travel to Farmville to take on the Lancers. First kick is set for 2:30 pm.
