It was the second-straight win, and fourth in five matches, for the Lancers, who improve to 7-4-2, while the Patriots drop to 5-5-3. FMU will play host to South Carolina State University, Friday at 4 p.m.

After battling through a scoreless first half, Longwood took a 1-0 lead at 53:43 when sophomore Maddie Stevens took a rebound and scored.  Stevens’ tally followed a missed header off the crossbar by junior Aynsley Birkner on a corner kick opportunity.  A standout defender, it was Stevens’ first collegiate goal for the Lancers.

Francis Marion came right back to tie the match at 1-1 as junior Ashley Fortune took a rebound of her own shot attempt that had been saved and placed the second attempt into the net at 59:19.  It was her fourth goal of the season. The score remained at 1-1 over the next 25 minutes as it appeared the two squads would go to overtime.

Mahon’s match-winner came after she was pulled down in the box. On the penalty kick, she blasted the ball past Patriot goalkeeper Jacque Sutphin at the 85:17 mark.

Mahon’s third goal of the season gave the Lancers their first-ever win over an FMU program that had won all three previous meetings since 1999, outscoring the Lancers 9-4 in the process.  The result came on a cold, wet, and windy day that still attracted a large Oktoberfest crowd of 175 to the off-campus facility.

Longwood owned a 15-10 advantage in shots, and had a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.  Junior keeper Anne Whitmore went the distance in front of the net for the Lancers with six saves.  Sutphin made seven stops.

Already short-handed, FMU played without junior forward Brandi Sutphin, who missed the match with an injury.