Farmville, Va. – Ally Bender converted a penalty in the 79
th minute to lift Winthrop women's soccer to a road win over Longwood, Wednesday evening in Big South Conference action.
Winthrop (3-6-4, 1-3-1 Big South) 1, Longwood (6-7-2, 3-3-0 BSC) 0
Oct. 15, 2025 | Longwood Athletics Complex
Scoring Summary
79' – WINTHROP – Bender (penalty kick)
Game Recap
- The teams spent the opening 18 minutes feeling each other out, but it was the Eagles that generated the first shot as Monssi Avila-Gutierrez let one fly from outside the box but the shot sailed high
- In the 21st minute the Lancers had their first opportunity off a turnover as Karleigh Minson won the ball, dribbled near the edge of the box at an angle and fired a shot on frame
- Mia Vrataric blocked the shot and was able to pounce on the rebound
- Another good chance for the Eagles came in the 23rd minute when Lauren Kelly dribbled by a defender and into the box as her service found the head of Cordelia McIntosh but she couldn't steer it on frame
- In the 28th minute just outside the area, Meghan Piazza ripped a shot that knuckled on frame as Vrataric was able to handle it and deflect it out for a corner
- Winthrop earned a free kick straight on from goal around 25 yards out in the 37th minute
- Avila-Gutierrez put a shot on frame that was initially bobbled but goalkeeper Sara Curtis corralled the rebound as a couple of Eagles crashed the net
- Winthrop nearly grabbed the lead before the half as Avila-Gutierrez collected a ball in the box, turned and then crossed the ball to the back post
- Laura Bennet made a run at the back post but a defender just beat her to the cross inside the six yard box
- The ball bounced around a couple of times before Amalie Steen won the ball and fired a shot from about eight yards out toward the lower corner that was saved by Curtis
- Eagles earned a corner in the 44th minute as the initial service was headed away toward Steen who cracked a shot on frame but was blocked by a defender
- Steen won the ball again in the box, slipped a pass to Ally Bender just wide of goal as she fired a shot toward the lower corner at the near post but Curtis once again made the save as the game remained scoreless at the half
- Another great scoring chance for the Eagles came in the 72nd minute as McIntosh chased down a long ball, dribbled by the defender and into open space inside the box
- As McIntosh closed in on goal she fired a shot to the far right corner but Curtis was there to turn it away
- Just moments later Sophia Balliet made a run that split the defense as she chased down a pass for a one-on-one as she tried to slip a shot by Curtis who go enough to deflect the shot wide of the goal frame for a corner
- The Eagles continued the pressure and it paid off as they were awarded a penalty kick in the 79th minute
- Ally Bender stepped up and converted the penalty for the eventual game-winner
Notables
- Eagles had an 13-11 advantage in total shots and 6-5 edge in shots on goal
- The goal for Bender is the second of her collegiate career
- This was the first road win in league play since a 1-0 victory at Presbyterian on Oct. 15, 2022
- It is also the first time the Eagles have won at Longwood in seven tries as the Eagles keep their hopes alive for a spot in the Big South Tournament
- This was the sixth shutout of the season for the Eagles as Mia Vrataric made five saves
- The six shutouts are the 4th most in a single-season by a Winthrop team and four shy of the program record of 10 set by the 2006 squad
- Eagles are now tied with UNC Asheville on the year for most shutouts in the league (6)
Looking Ahead
The Eagles return home on Saturday, Oct. 18 as they host Radford at 6 p.m. in their second-to-last regular season home match.
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