FARMVILLE, Va. – It assuredly took more tries than Toby Platt would have liked, but the Bellarmine field hockey team's first-year coach earned his first career win Sunday as his Knights took down Longwood 2-1 at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field.
 
Bellarmine (1-8, 1-2 MAC) used goals by Madison Patton and Luna Tuncay on Sunday. The Knights outshot Longwood (2-8, 0-3 MAC) 11-9 and held a 6-5 advantage in penalty corners, marking the first time this season they held an advantage in either category. (Bellarmine did equal Saint Louis' output in both categories in their game on September 12.)
 
The Knights finally broke through with their first goal in three games when Madison Patton battled through a host of Lancers in the circle and netted her first career score with a backhanded shot with just over two minutes gone in the second quarter. Patton's goal was the first by the Knights this season that did not come on a penalty corner.
 
The Lancers would equalize late in the second quarter when Aubrey White netted her first career goal with 32 seconds left. A shot by Channy Johnson was kicked away by Knights keeper Kailey Workman, but White was right there for the rebound and the putback to knot the game at one apiece.
 
Coming out of the break, Bellarmine had an opportunity to jump back ahead, but a shot by Cami Paris hit the left post with about three minutes left.
 
Tuncay would net what turned out to be the game-winning goal on a penalty corner with 4:41 left in the third. Brooke Buchanan, who missed Friday's game with an injury, returned and inserted to Hudson, who stopped for Richters before Richters sent it back to the left to Tuncay for a sweeping shot and score. The goal was Tuncay's second of the season moving her out of a multi-player tie for the team lead.
 
On the attack with an empty net in the final minute, the Lancers were called for a dangerous ball by Madison Wiley on their last possession, sending the Knights to their first win since October 27 of last season when they won 2-1 at Saint Francis in double overtime.
 
Workman finished with five saves to earn her 12th career win in the cage.
 
With the win, Bellarmine snapped both a nine-game losing streak and a seven-game MAC losing streak. Their last MAC win was a 4-3 triumph over Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant last October 4.
 
Bellarmine stays on the road for more MACtion on Friday at Ohio at 1 p.m. ET. They then remain in Athens for a nonconference neutral site match with Queens Saturday, also at 1 p.m. ET.
 
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