Longwood University’s women’s soccer team is four months from the start of the 2018 season, but it was hard at work last week participating in the fourth of five scheduled spring exhibition matches.

This offseason preparation is helpful for Head Coach Todd Dyer and his staff to try to maintain the momentum of a historic 2017 season in which the Lancers reached the Big South Championship game for the first time and tied their Division I program records for wins (13), winning percentage (.690), shutouts (11), goals against average (0.55), fewest goals allowed (12), save percentage (.885), shots (344) and shots on goal (170).

“Honestly, the biggest thing in terms of the spring for us is that it provides an opportunity for players to get on the field and get some reps and minutes that maybe didn’t get that opportunity in the fall,” Dyer said.

The team’s seniors set to graduate soon do not play in the exhibition matches.

“Without your seniors, that changes your numbers,” Dyer said. “That also changes kind of your leadership dynamic, so you have a chance to try some new players in new roles and kind of test the waters a little bit as you think ahead to next year. There’s some growing pains in that.”

The coach noted that the desire to win is always there, but in the spring, development is the priority, trying new things with players and systems.

“Then you can apply to the fall what you think could work moving forward and then kind of change the things that maybe you saw didn’t work in the spring,” he said.

The Lancers play the University of Maryland-Baltimore County at noon April 21 in Fredericksburg.