Big South Conference women’s soccer frontrunner High Point University entered Wednesday night’s matchup against Longwood University unbeaten in the conference, a Longwood Athletics press release noted. Following a 110-minute battle, the Lancers couldn’t deal the Panthers that first defeat, but they got closer than anyone else. 

Behind a defensive-minded performance that Longwood Head Coach Todd Dyer called a “tactical masterpiece,” Longwood (6-7-2, 4-3-2 Big South) battled the Big South No. 1 to a scoreless double-overtime draw at the Longwood Athletics Complex to become only the second conference team to survive the high-powered Panthers (9-6-2, 8-0-2) this season, officials stated in the release.

Led by multiple marathon performances from 110-minute ironwomen Taylor Alvey, Tori Gagliardi, Madison Hommey, Madison Lockamy, Erica Sieben and Kiersten Yuhas, Longwood handed High Point its first Big South shutout of the season, the release cited. The Panthers entered the game as the Big South’s No. 2 scoring team but managed to put just five shots on goal against Longwood’s backfield unit, all of which junior goalkeeper Madison Van Dyke saved.

“We did very well tactically tonight, especially dropping back defensively,” Van Dyke said in the release. The shutout was her fifth of the season and Longwood’s seventh as a team.

“We had our chances offensively, no doubt about that, but we were really solid on the back side. Especially with Carrie (Reaver) out, Tori and everyone stepped up really well.”