WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary men's soccer fell to Longwood, 6-5, in a back-and-forth season opener Thursday night at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field.
The Tribe jumped out to a 2-0 advantage and led 3-2 at halftime before extending its lead to 4-2 in the 60th minute. Longwood responded with four unanswered goals over the final 17 minutes to take a 6-4 advantage before Kai Feng scored in the final minute to pull W&M within one.
Damen Burney and Evan Rabush also found the back of the net for the Tribe, while W&M benefited from two Longwood own goals. Gabe Ruitenberg, Alex Kochell and Alex Garrison each recorded an assist.
William & Mary outshot Longwood, 17-16, while the Lancers held a 9-7 edge in shots on goal. Diego Garciarena made three saves in his Tribe debut.
First Half
The Tribe wasted little time getting on the board, taking a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute on a Longwood own goal.
Another own goal doubled the Tribe advantage in the 19th minute, giving W&M a 2-0 lead.
Longwood answered in the 29th minute as Youssef Shafei scored off assists from Mesfin Roda and Brando Bedolla to cut the margin to one. The Lancers pulled even in the 36th minute when Joshwa Campbell found the back of the net.
The Tribe needed just 81 seconds to regain the advantage. Burney scored off an assist from Kochell in the 38th minute to send W&M into halftime with a 3-2 lead.
Second Half
W&M extended its advantage to 4-2 in the 60th minute. Ruitenberg set up Rabush, who found the back of the net for the first goal of his senior campaign.
The Lancers began their comeback when Campbell scored his second goal of the night in the 74th minute to make it 4-3. Pau Garcia equalized in the 82nd minute before Bedolla gave Longwood its first lead, 5-4, in the 87th minute.
Shafei added his second goal with 1:12 remaining to extend the Lancers' advantage to 6-4.
The Tribe continued to battle, as Feng scored his first goal in the Green and Gold off an assist from Garrison with 36 seconds remaining. W&M could not find another equalizer before the final whistle.
Up Next
William & Mary concludes its season-opening homestand Sunday, Aug. 23, hosting Radford at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the match will be streamed live on FloCollege.
