UNC Wilmington’s men’s soccer team bounced back after its 2-1 overtime loss to no. 12 Virginia with a 2-0 win over Longwood on Friday night.

The game was a tale of two halves. Longwood (0-2-1) outshot no. 15 UNCW 4-3 and controlled the flow and pace of the game for much of the first half. The Seahawks were fortunate the game went into halftime a scoreless tie.

UNCW (4-1) controlled the tempo and dominated Longwood the last 45 minutes of play. The Seahawks outshot the Lancers 12-1 and used that aggressive approach to put the game away late.

The scoreless tie was broken in the 70^th minute by freshman Emil Elveroth. Elveroth was able to convert on a turnover by Longwood. It was the first goal of Elveroth’s career.

“It was fantastic,” said Elveroth. “As a striker, you always want to score so I was just filled with happiness.”

Elveroth also said it was “very important” for them to bounce back after their first loss of the season. “The second half was better and coach told us to find a way and I think we did.”

UNCW head coach Aiden Heaney thought his team wasn’t “assertive” enough in the first half and said they were “very tentative” with the ball. Heaney acknowledged the way Longwood’s defense was set-up, making it difficult for the Seahawks to penetrate it early.

A turning point in the game was the introduction of forward Julio Moncada which was a big reason the second half played out the way it did. The senior’s experience and leadership set a tone for the team.

“The introduction of Julio was a real change in the game because he brought us to life and created a lot of problems for them,” said Heaney. “In the second half, I thought we just played the way I know we can and it was a lot better from our standpoint.”

UNCW will play its first Colonial Athletic Association of the season when it travels to face defending champion Delaware on September 17.