The University of Richmond field hockey team opened its season with a decisive 3-0 victory over Longwood University at Crenshaw Field on Friday, Aug. 29.
Richmond entered the 2025 season following an 11-8 record in 2024.The Spiders fired through a grueling first half of no scoring.
Immediately seeking a goal, one of UR’s newly minted captains, senior midfielder Jess McMeeking, fired off a shot with less than three minutes on the clock. The Lancers and Spiders spent most of the first quarter dancing around each other and settling into the game.
The Spiders forced a hard line, giving the Lancers narrow space to work. Despite generating seven shots in the quarter, Richmond found itself blocked, Longwood’s goalie saving each attempt. While the Lancers’ defense made way, the attack couldn’t manage to find an opening, failing to make a single shot.
Continuing to lock each other down, the second quarter dragged. Early on the Lancers made a run, managing two shots followed by a corner attempt and a green card, but found themselves empty-handed.
Richmond didn’t generate anything until the 24th minute, junior forward Clara Larripa made two goal attempts, one high, the other low. There would need to be a change in the second half if the teams wanted to break away from one another.
“Longwood is always a very competitive team,” Head Coach Martu Loncarica said in a postgame press conference. “We’re both from Virginia, we’re an hour away from each other and we face each other a lot. I think it’s one of those games where both teams want to beat each other so it’s always a fun challenge.”
UR charged into the third quarter, adopting a more aggressive presence. Within the first seven minutes of the half Richmond tallied five shots and two corner attempts. The hard work paid off, McMeeking batted the ball into the back of the cage after an initial blocked shot from junior forward Valen Luna Paratore.
The goal seemed to motivate UR, a flurry of shots and corners coming in the next minutes. Larripa hit home in the 43rd minute of play, furthering Richmond’s lead. As the Spiders soared, the Lancers seemed to only fall, failing in a corner in the last minute of the quarter.
With a two goal lead, the Spiders built confidence and established total dominance over the field in the final quarter. Richmond out-shot Longwood 7-0, the Spiders finally finding a rhythm.
Senior midfielder Lainey Nichols took advantage of an opening, succeeding in one final goal before the buzzer, condemning the Lancers to a 3-0 loss.
“I think today was really great,” McMeeking said. “I think it’s a perfect reflection of everything we’ve worked on throughout preseason.”
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Alongside junior goalkeeper Amanda Cimillo, first-year forward Remy Phan made her collegiate debut, delivering a promising performance on the field. Paratore and Larripa, both named to the 2025 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Watchlist, lived up to expectations and led the team in shots on goal.
With the win, Richmond improved its record against Longwood to 8-1-1.
The Spiders will go on to face a giant, No. 1 Northwestern University on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 12:00 p.m. at Crenshaw Field. Richmond has a 0-2 record against the 2024 National Champion Wildcats.
Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu
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