Farmville, Va. – The UMBC women's soccer team exploded for two first-half goals in less than two minutes, shutting out the Longwood Lancers, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Longwood Athletics Complex. With the victory, the Retrievers have already equaled their 2025 win total as they improved to 6-2-2 on the campaign. The six non-conference wins are its most since 2014, when the Dawgs won eight matches and reached the America East Conference semifinals.
"Today was another important step forward for our group," said UMBC head coach
Rick Stainton. "Longwood is a very good team, and earning a 2-0 result on the road speaks for the growth, resilience, and belief within this team. To finish non-conference play 6-2-2, with one of the best non-conference records in program history, is something our players should be extremely proud of. Now we turn the page. Conference play presents a new challenge and a new opportunity, and we're excited to carry this momentum, confidence, and belief into the America East season."
The Dawgs, firing on all cylinders, have allowed just one goal over their last three contests and turned in a dominant performance, limiting Longwood to just two shots on goal over 90 minutes while generating a barrage of 11 chances. Junior goalie
Amara Codd was rock-solid once again, needing only two saves to secure her third clean sheet of the season, and her second in the last three games.
The Retrievers nearly lit up the scoreboard in the seventh minute after a dangerous corner kick from senior forward
Payton Schenning. Lancers' goalie Maddie Wessel made a desperate punch to keep Schenning's curling effort out of the top corner, but the ball ricocheted to freshman
Brooke Clagett (who racked up a career-high seven shots) at the five-yard line. Clagett's shot was destined for the net, only for a Longwood defender to clear it off the line. Moments later, sophomore
Delainey Proctor soared for a point-blank header that just sailed over the crossbar, keeping the score locked at zero.
The Retrievers broke through in the 31
st minute with a penalty kick by sophomore
Zoe Brossman, her third PK of the year. Brossman orchestrated the opportunity by finding Proctor down the left flank, who charged into the box and unleashed a shot that deflected off a defender's hand. Brossman strode to the dot and hammered home the go-ahead goal into the center of the net.
UMBC struck again just 1:49 later when junior midfielder
Kristiana Kolega (assist) delivered a pinpoint corner into the heart of the box. Sophomore defender
Hailey Ahmed (assist) flicked it perfectly toward the back post. Waiting was classmate
Olivia Nardone, who smashed the ball into the upper corner from two yards out. It was Nardone's second tally of the season.
The Retrievers outshot the hosts by a 17-7 margin and took eight corners compared to just two by Longwood.
The Retrievers have now won their last three games against Longwood, who fell to 3-4-2 on the season.
UMBC will open the America East season at Vermont next Sunday afternoon.
