Two late goals with less than ten minutes to play lifted the nationally-ranked No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies to a 4-2 win over the upset-minded Lancers on Wednesday night in Blacksburg.
“I'm so proud of the Longwood team that played their guts out tonight against one of the top teams in the country,” said women’s soccer head coach Todd Dyer to Longwood athletics' official website.
Virginia Tech (4-0-1) struck early as senior midfielder Ashley Meier and junior forward Murielle Tiernan each found the back of the net in the first 20 minutes of the first half.
Tiernan’s first half goal pushed her into first place as the all-time leading goal scorer with 30 in her third season as a Hokie.
Longwood (2-2-0) was then able to put the clamp down and hold Tech scoreless for the next 66 minutes of action. Longwood didn’t have a single shot attempt in the first half, but they made their first one count.
Freshman forward Amber Hodges put the Lancers on the board in the 71st minute on the Lancer’s first shot attempt of the night. That goal was also the first in Hodges’ career.
Fellow classmate midfielder Kelly Almeida got in on the action as she tallied her first goal as well in the 76th minute to tie the game a 2-2.
The upset bid then ran out of gas in the waning moments as two quick goals from Meier and Alani Johnson erased any doubt of a possible upset.
The Lancers were able to put up two goals on a Hokie defense that had yet to allow more than one in a game on the 2015 campaign.
“To come back and tie the game 2-2 late in the second half shows the character of this team. In the end we didn't have quite enough in the tank to see the game out and get the result, but we learned plenty about this year's group. This is not a moral victory, so we will do everything we can to improve and be even better next time out,” said Dyer to Longwood athletics’ official website.
A big difference in the outcome was the shot differential.
The Hokies fired 27, 13 on goal. Longwood only mustered three total, all coming in the second half.
The road swing continues as the Lancers take on the Western Carolina University Catamounts (2-1-1) Sunday at 2 pm.
After Sunday, Longwood still has road games against the Virginia Military Institute, West Virginia University and University of Richmond.
