FARMVILLE, Va. – The genesis of the nine-game Big South Conference schedule draws closer on Wednesday evening for the Presbyterian College women's soccer program, emerging from a week-plus gap in competition to travel to Longwood in the league opener at 6:00 p.m.
With the team's eight-date nonconference slate behind them, head coach
Brian Purcell and co. will look to start the final month of the regular season on a high note, seeking their first win in Farmville since becoming an NCAA Division I member tomorrow night. First touch in the Commonwealth State will be broadcasted by ESPN+.
WHEN: Wednesday, September 21
WHERE: Longwood Athletics Complex (Farmville, Va.)
TIME: 6:00 p.m.
RECORDS: Presbyterian (0-6-2), Longwood (3-4-2)
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
Predicted to place fourth by Big South coaches before the 2022 campaign saw the green flag, the Lancers enter league action with a bit of a limp, having either tied or outright lost their last five outings after winning three of their first four. Held to just a single goal in the aforementioned five-game skid, Longwood and 30
th-year head coach Todd Dyer was last seen in a 2-0 setback to William & Mary on the road which followed up consecutive ties against Western Carolina and Elon.
Boasting their three wins over the likes of Richmond, UMBC, and Howard (the latter of which occurred nearly a full month back), Longwood has often struggled to retain a sense of offensive momentum throughout the fall, scoring eight times but seeing a -58 difference in total shots.
Wednesday's clash could serve as another in the lengthy list of defensive battles involving the Blue Hose, displaying two of the best goalkeepers in the Big South as probable starters
Kelly Hall and Mary Kate Levush go head-to-head. Ranking 5
th in the league in total saves (33) on a .750 percentage, Hall duels with the conference's top dog in goals against average (0.93), as Levush has held three separate opponents to zero scores behind 55 stops, including a league-best 17 at Elon on Sept. 11.
Tied with Radford in fewest goals given up through their first nine appearances, the Lancers' stout back line has helped make up for some inconsistencies on the attack, a theme that has also followed PC at times during the semester. Since gaining a 2-1 overtime W at Martin Stadium three years back, the Blue Hose have dropped back-to-back matches against Longwood by a combined 3-1 margin.
LAST TIME OUT:
It was largely an afternoon to forget for Presbyterian in the nonconference finale nearly a week and a half ago, falling victim to a 4-0 decision at the hands of undefeated Mississippi State in Starkville. After true freshman
Sloan Spees (the Big South's second-place holder in shots per contest at 3.13) found the back of the net thrice versus Kennesaw State and The Citadel, the blue and white have been mostly held in check and will look to steady the ship in Farmville.
Following the first match against a fellow Big South school, the Blue Hose will remain inside of league play until the season's end in the latter stages of October, headed back to Clinton after wrapping things up with Longwood to battle Radford on Sept. 24 at 4:00 p.m.
A link to live stats for Wednesday's affair can be found below and at the top of this article.
Longwood Live Stats -
https://longwoodlancers.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
