After about 90 minutes of incessant force, the Longwood field hockey team lost in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship semifinal to Miami (OH) University. The No. 2 RedHawks beat the No. 3 Lancers after two overtimes with a clinching goal by sophomore forward Paula Portugal.
Despite the tragic loss, Longwood head coach Iain Byers was encouraged by the Lancers’ performance throughout the season.
“It was a wonderful performance that showed huge amounts of growth as a program, not only this season but in the four years these seniors have been here as well,” said Byers on the official Longwood athletics website.
During the first half of the game, the Lancers scored on a reverse shot by sophomore forward Leonie Verstraete in the 6th minute. Portugal broke the Lancers’ stride with her goal in the 15th minute, equalizing the score at 1-1.
Longwood and Miami made it to halftime still level until senior midfielder Carla Romagosa gave the RedHawks the lead in the 43rd minute.
The Lancers held strong in the second half after junior defender Lil-Sophie Achterwinter equalized in the 60th minute. Her goal was assisted by MAC-leading scorer junior forward Edel Nyland, and left the RedHawks with only 15 minutes to try to surpass them.
The fight for the win was tense as Longwood held off the RedHawks for the final 15 minutes of regulation, before Portugal’s game-winning goal in double overtime, closing out the score at 3-2.
Despite the loss, Byers said Longwood was inspired by their improvement since joining the MAC three years ago, which will only lead to more motivation for next season.
“We will move on from the loss,” Byers said on the official Longwood athletics website. “This is just another thing that lights the fire for us.”
The loss ended both the Lancers’ first run in postseason since joining the MAC in 2014 and the careers of five Longwood seniors.
The five seniors goalkeeper Lauren Bernard, defender Jordan Chapman, midfielder Lindsey Lysher, midfielder Ellen Ross and goalkeeper Allison Savage are set to finish out their senior year as the first senior class from Longwood to make it all the way to the MAC Championship and finish No. 3 in the MAC standings, an all-time high for Longwood.
Team captain Ross left the game marinating in a sense of pride.
“For the first time in the 13 overtime games my class has played in, we completely dominated,” Ross said on the official Longwood athletics website. “Miami got one lucky chance. I'm really proud of this team and how far we've made it. We definitely made history. Longwood will definitely be back next year.”
