RICHMOND, Va. – The Longwood University men’s soccer team fell, 2-1, to the University of Richmond (2-5) on Tuesday evening in Richmond, Va. Senior Evan Jones| Midlothian (Midlothian) scored his first goal of the season to lead the Lancers (2-6). Longwood returns to action on Saturday, September 22, when it hosts Big South Conference opponent Gardner-Webb University at 7 p.m.

“Statistics can paint part of the story, but all in all, the main focal point in the game is getting the result, and scoring is an art in itself,” said head coach Jon Atkinson. ”We had some marvelous opportunities, but failed on many and have to hold our hands up and say we didn’t do enough to win it. Richmond did a good job of getting their noses in front and putting up stiff resistance, which was something we had hoped to avoid. Thankfully, we have a great opportunity to bounce back with a conference game this Saturday against Gardner-Webb.”

In the seventh minute of play, Richmond jumped out to an early lead, as Parker Patterson fed a pass to the right side of the field for Houston Oldham, who fired a shot towards the upper left corner of the net to give the Spiders a 1-0 lead.

The Lancers offense controlled possession of the ball for much of the half, outshooting Richmond, 10-6, in the first 45 minutes, but could not move the net before Richmond scored its second goal of the night and the eventual game-winner in the 37th minute. Mitch Reavis sent a cross to Houston, who was set up in front of the net for the header on goal.

The Lancers would not go quietly and were able to get on the board less than 40 seconds later, as Jones crashed the ball before it could be fully cleared by the Liberty defense and sent a hard shot to the back post from about six yards out, making it a 2-1 game headed into the break.

Coming out of halftime, the teams battled through 45 minutes of scoreless action. Neither squad was able to convert on an opportunity in the second half, allowing Richmond to hold on to take the slim, 2-1 margin of victory.  

Junior Brian Henry| Stafford (Colonial Forge) led the Lancers with five shots in the outing, while sophomore Anthony Ugorji|Washington, D.C. (Archbishop Carroll) added three shots of his own. Seniors Devin Pierce|Virginia Beach (Ocean Lakes) and Adel Sarras|Burke (Annandale), along with junior Jared Windt|Haymarket (Battlefield) tallied two shots apiece, while Jones and Rhys Cairns|Washington, England (St. Roberts of Newminster RC School) notched one each on the night. Oldham had a team-high five shots for the Spiders.

Freshmen Carl Carpenter|Charlottesville (St. Anne’s Belfield) and Seth Erdman|Hummelstown, Pa. (Lower Dauphin) split time in the net for the Lancers. Carpenter, who started the game, made three saves in 48+ minutes of action, while Erdman came off the bench to make two saves in the last 41+ minutes of the game.

Longwood outshot Richmond, 18-11, in the outing, and had three corner kick opportunities compared to two for the Spiders. Tuesday’s contest marked the 13th meeting between the Lancers and the Spiders in the sports of men’s soccer. Longwood holds a 6-5-2 advantage in the all-time series.