Longwood Women's Soccer Week 6 Recap

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood split its first two Big South Conference road matches last week, winning 2-0 at Charleston Southern on September 27, before a 2-0 loss at Coastal Carolina on Sept. 29.  The Lancers are 8-4 overall, 3-1 in the Big South, and have already surpassed their win total from last season (7-7-4), while enjoying their finest season start since 2002 (9-2-1).  Longwood will play two conference home contests this week at the Athletics Complex in Farmville against Winthrop University on Thursday, October 4, at 5:30 p.m. (this is a time change from original schedule), and Gardner-Webb University on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m.

Recapping CSU
Longwood took control early when junior Kelsey Pardue|Henrico (Hermitage), last week’s Big South Conference Attacking Player of the Week, scored her fifth goal of the season in the 18th minute with a shot to the upper right corner while assisted by sophomore Kelsey McDonald|Kennett Square, Pa. (Unionville).  Pardue contributed her fourth assist this fall when she played a long through ball into the box to freshman Haylea Witz|Chesapeake (Grassfield) who finished successfully in the 37th minute.  It was the second goal this year for Witz, and also the second assist for McDonald.  Senior keeper Kyra Byron|Richmond (Mills E. Godwin) took care of the rest for the Lancers, making three saves en route to her fourth shutout this season, and the 11th shutout of her career.  Longwood and Charleston Southern were playing for the ninth time, and the Lancers now lead the series, 5-4.

Quoting Head Coach Todd Dyer
“That being our first road test, we felt pretty good about the result. We had a good start in terms of our ball movement and that helped us settle in and get that critical first goal … and the way we defended, that one was all we needed.”

Recapping CCU
It was scoreless at the intermission before Coastal Carolina scored the first goal in the 61st minute, and the Chanticleers added a late insurance goal in the 87th minute.  Longwood and Coastal Carolina were playing for the sixth time, and the Chanticleers now lead the series, 5-1.

Quoting Head Coach Todd Dyer
“Looking back on the whole 90 minutes, Coastal Carolina deserved that result.  They put us under a lot of pressure and we just didn’t deal with it well enough.  Offensively, we weren’t a consistent threat and that freed up their backs to get forward and create problems for us.  We are capable of playing at a higher level and we have to show that against a strong Winthrop squad.”

Leading The Lancers
Kelsey Pardue leads Longwood in scoring through 12 matches with her five goals and four assists totaling 14 points.  Senior captain Lindsey Ottavio|Fairfax (W.T. Woodson) adds two goals and three assists for seven points.  Sophomores Kylie Dyer|Farmville (Prince Edward County) (2g), Kelsey McDonald (1g, 2a) and Samantha Phillips|Chesapeake (Grassfield) (2g), along with Haylea Witz (2g) each contribute four points.  Senior Nikki Glisson|Mechanicsville (Hanover), as well as freshmen Bridget Bergquist|Bristow (Brentsville) and Alana Mackey|Leesburg (Loudoun County) each add one goal for two points apiece.  Sophomore Taylor Cave|Virginia Beach (Kellam) and freshman Olivia Colella|Herndon (Chantilly) each have one assist totaling one point. Kyra Byron has played 961 minutes in front of the net while allowing 11 goals (1.03) with 43 saves (.796) and 4.33 shutouts.  Junior keeper Shelby Hall|Purcellville (Loudoun Valley) has played 123 minutes in front of the net while allowing three goals (2.20) with nine saves (.750) and 0.33 shutouts.  Redshirt-sophomore Dana Wallace|Charlottesville (Home Schooled) has played 12 minutes in front of the net with 0.33 shutouts.

Coaching Milestone: 200 Career Wins
Todd Dyer, enjoying his 19th year as the founder and head coach of the Longwood women’s soccer program, now has an overall record of 201-123-20, including 14 winning seasons. A former standout midfielder at Longwood, he served as a team captain for two years and scored 15 goals during his four years, earning All-Virginia Intercollegiate Soccer Association (VISA) honors as a senior.  A native of Manassas, Dyer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Longwood in 1993.  He also coached the Longwood men’s soccer program for seven years (1996-2002), compiling a record of 75-53-7.

Quoting Head Coach Todd Dyer
“200 is a nice milestone and what it really reflects is that I’ve been fortunate to do what I love, at a place I love, for a long, long time. I’m blessed to have had the privilege of working with so many great people these past 19 years.  Our program’s future is very bright due to all of their hard work.”

Big South … Here We Are
Longwood has completed the non-league portion of its schedule and will play only Big South matches the rest of the season.  The Lancers play 11-straight Big South contests from Sept. 20 to Oct. 23.  The Big South Conference Tournament will include the top eight teams playing quarterfinal matches at the four highest seeds on Oct. 27, followed by semifinal matches on November 2 and the tournament championship contest on Nov. 4, hosted by Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

NCAA/Big South Statistics
Longwood ranked 65th in Division I winning percentage (.667) through Sept. 30, and 70th in shutout percentage (.417).  Kelsey Pardue ranked 11th in game-winning goals (4), 116th in assists (4), 118th in points (14) and 141st in goals (5).  Kyra Byron ranked 108th in goals-against average (1.03), 114th in save percentage (.796) and 148th in minutes (961). In Big South matches (4), the Lancers are first in goals-against-average (0.74), tied for first in shutouts (2), second in home attendance (432), tied for third in assists (6-1.5), while fifth in goals (8-2.0) and points (22-5.5).  Kelsey Pardue ranks first in goals (4-1.0), game-winning goals (3) and points (11-2.75), and is tied for first in assists (3-.75).  Kyra Byron ranks first in goals-against average (0.84) and is tied for third in save percentage (.800) and shutouts (.25).  Lindsey Ottavio is tied for fourth in assists (2-0.50).

Big South Conference/Attacking Player Of The Week
Kelsey Pardue was named the Big South Conference Attacking Player Of The Week Sept. 25 for her efforts during the 4-0 home win against UNC Asheville on Sept. 20 and the 2-1 overtime home win against Presbyterian on Sept. 22. She is Longwood’s third Big South Player of the Week (see below).  Pardue scored three goals -- two game-winners -- and added two assists to lead Longwood to a pair of Big South wins.  She was involved in all four scores against UNC Asheville, scoring the first and game-winning goal in the fourth minute with a hard shot into the net after a feed into the box.  Pardue returned the favor when she fed the ball in from the left side on the game’s second goal in the 12th minute, and added another assist as she played a through-ball in for a successful shot in the 19th minute.  She completed the scoring outburst when she got free down the middle of the field and beat the keeper one-on-one in the 21st minute.  Pardue capped her outstanding week with the game-winning goal in OT against Presbyterian.  She tallied the game-winner in the 105th minute when she dribbled up the middle through traffic and shot successfully to the right upper 90.  The talented third-year starter now totals 13 goals and 16 assists for 42 points in her career.  Pardue was also named the College Sports Madness Big South Player of the Week.

Big South Conference Defensive Player Of The Week
Kyra Byron was named the Big South Conference Defensive Player Of The Week Sept. 11 for her effort during a 1-0 shutout road victory at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County on Sept. 9.  She is Longwood’s second Big South Player of the Week.  Byron posted six saves for the Lancers against the Retrievers with five of her saves in the second half, including four after Longwood had taken a one-goal advantage.  It was the third shutout in six matches this season for Byron, the fourth-year team member who now totals 10 shutouts in her career to rank sixth all-time.

Big South Conference/Attacking Player Of The Week
Lindsey Ottavio was named the Big South Conference Attacking Player Of The Week August 28 for her effort during the 2-1 double-overtime home win past Richmond on August 24.  She is Longwood’s first Big South Player of the Week since the school joined the conference on July 1.  Ottavio scored two unassisted goals, including the game-winner just 50-seconds into the second extra period to lead the Lancers (3-1) past the Spiders.  She scored her first goal in the 65th minute, taking the ball through the middle of the box while beating both a defender and the keeper with a shot to the left side of the net at 64:35.  Ottavio finally ended the well-played match at 100:50 when she took a loose ball in the box and once again beat the keeper with a hard shot to the left side for the sudden victory.  The second-year team captain has eight game-winning goals in her career.  Ottavio was also named the College Sports Madness Big South Player of the Week.

Big South Network
Longwood produced its first-ever Big South Network live video-streamed broadcast against UNC Asheville Sept. 20. The Big South Network is the official video provider for all Big South Conference games. Each member institution is required to produce broadcasts for home events to be streamed via the conference network. The Lancers will stream three women’s soccer matches this fall, including the matches against visiting Winthrop University (Oct. 4) and Virginia Military Institute (Oct. 20).  The Big South Network has an archive of on-demand videos that can be viewed for free.  A paid subscription is required to view live events, with both single-game and season passes available.  You can view the Longwood Lancers TV page to watch all of the Lancers’ webcasts and see a schedule of upcoming events by visiting www.longwoodlancers.com or www.bigsouthsports.com.

In The Record Book
Kyra Byron ranks second in career goals against average (0.87), and fifth in minutes (3524) among keepers at Longwood, allowing just 34 goals.  Lindsey Ottavio ranks in a tie for third in career goals (24), and is tied for fifth in career points (58).

No Place Like Home
Longwood is now 45-15-2 (.758) on its home turf at the Athletics Complex since beginning competition at the facility in 2006.  The Lancers, 5-1 at home this season, are 38-14-1 (.726) in Farmville since attaining its NCAA Division I certification and eligibility for 2007.

2012 Captains
Lindsey Ottavio is serving as a team captain for the second consecutive season, while senior Natalie Massey|Virginia Beach (Landstown) is in the team leadership role for the first time.

Youth Being Served
Ten freshmen and/or sophomores have made starts through the opening 10 matches.  The Lancers have nine true sophomores and 10 true freshmen among their 28-player roster, and overall, 18 of them have seen action this season.

The Coaching Staff
Head coach Todd Dyer ’93 is in his 19th year leading Longwood and is assisted by associate head coach Steve Brdarski, in his ninth season, along with student assistant Rachel Powers ’14.  Coach Dyer enters this week with a career coaching record of 201-123-20.

Up Next Week
Longwood will go back on the road for two Big South matches in North Carolina at Campbell University on Thursday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., before playing at High Point University on Saturday, Oct. 13, at 5 p.m.