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Longwood women’s lacrosse had a pair of alums representing it on the world stage of the sport this summer, as Nicole Fordyce, class of ‘22 and Sarah Butler, class of ‘16 both competed for team New Zealand at the Women’s World Championships in Maryland.

The duo played a critical role for a New Zealand team that finished 12th among the 30 countries that were present at the event.

Butler and Fordyce combined for 34 points, with Butler leading New Zealand in points (22), goals (15) and assists (7). Meanwhile, Fordyce finished third on the team with 12 points thanks to six goals and six assists.

In pool play, New Zealand was unbeaten for a second straight time at the world championships, the team went 4-0 in Pool D to advance to the knockout portion of the bracket. Overall, the team finished 5-3 at the event, with wins over Ireland, Austria, Spain and Hong Kong (China).

Both were impact players during their time in the Lancer blue. Butler scored 218 points, including three seasons of at least 30 goals. She had a career high 49 goals as a senior, and her 87 points in 2016 were good for 10th-most in the country at the Division I level.

Fordyce posted 100 points while scoring at least 10 goals in every full season (the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). This past spring, she had 37 points, good for third on the team.

Longwood continues to gear up for the upcoming spring season under the direction of first-year head coach Kylar Ferguson. The team’s spring schedule will be released at a later date.