BUIES CREEK, N.C. – On St. Patrick's Day, Longwood women's soccer didn't need luck but they did need a whole lot of grit.
In a Wednesday night showdown between two teams ranked among the NCAA's top four in shots per game, a defensive slugfest erupted that ended in a scoreless draw between two Big South contenders at Eakes Athletics Complex. Despite matching clean sheets, the game featured a number of near-misses, goal-line stands and heroic performances from a pair of goalkeepers who split the spotlight all night in front of their respective nets.
"That was an amazing defensive effort by our team, and especially Mado and our back four," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer. "Campbell put us under tons of pressure, and we were able to bend but not break."
Leading that charge for the still-unbeaten Lancers (1-0-3) was All-Big South senior Madison Van Dyke, who blocked all six of Campbell's shots on goal and withstood a grueling 14 corner kicks from the offensive-minded Fighting Camels (2-2-1). Clad in her bright green keeper's kit, Van Dyke put forth a heroic effort after halftime, racking up five of those saves through the end of regulation and directing Longwood's defense to a stifling overtime performance in which they held Campbell without a shot on goal during both 10-minute periods.
The shutout was Van Dyke's second straight on Campbell's home field, making her responsible for two of just three shutouts the Fighting Camels have suffered on their own turf since Oct. 10, 2018. The latest of those Wednesday was Longwood's third straight clean sheet in 2021 and extended the Big South-leading Lancer defense's streak to 360 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal.
However, Campbell's backfield and freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Martelli, in only her second career start, returned the favor by limiting Longwood to just two shots on goal, both of which Martelli turned away. Longwood managed just three shots total for the game, falling well short of the 20.0 per game they averaged entering the night.
Meanwhile the Fighting Camels, who also entered the game averaging 20.0 shots per game, ripped 15 at the Lancer net and put seven of those on goal. Amber Liston came off the bench to take a game-high five of those, including four of Campbell's final eight attempts, but sent only one of those on net, which Van Dyke handled.
"I'm especially proud of how we dealt with so many corner kicks," Dyer said. "We had a couple good chances to score, but we definitely want to figure out how to have more of the ball and attacking opportunities next time out. All-in-all, this was a massive effort and a well-earned point on the road."
Meanwhile, Longwood's best chances came in the closing minutes of regulation when, first, freshman Camille Jernigan threaded a needle of a pass from midfield deep into Campbell territory where Kiersten Yuhas chased it down and fired a left-footed rocket at the left post of the Campbell goal. However, Martelli met her at the point of impact and deflected the point-blank shot out of bounds for her second save of the night.
Longwood also generated another chance in the 86th minute on a Kennedy Culbreath cross to the middle of the box, but freshman Isabella Unrath was immediately met with a Campbell double team in front of the net before she could get her shot off.
The draw keeps the Lancers' unbeaten streak alive, leaving them as one of only two teams in the Big South without a defeat this season alongside first-place High Point (5-0-0). Longwood is now down to its final five Big South games of the season, with the next of those coming this Sunday, March 21, at home against UNC Asheville.
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March 18, 2021 at 09:13AM
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Longwood Defense Stands Tall Again to Battle Campbell to 0-0 Draw - Longwood Athletics
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