"We like to get our money's worth," Manghan said of coaching both teams.

No kidding.

The Lions got their money's worth and then some a little over an hour later. Down 1-0 until the final minutes, the Lions rallied to force overtime where they went on for a wild 2-1 victory in the Town of Brookhaven Summer League.

Longwood improved to 3-1-1 at the midway point in the summer as the Lions hope to build momentum going into an always challenging League I schedule in the fall. And for a school that endured a winless varsity campaign last fall, wins in any form are a welcome sight.

"It's more than the wins," Manghan said. "They're playing well. So they're getting the idea of how they can play. I think last year they never really got off the ground. We started out slowly and never caught any momentum."

Longwood's summer team includes nearly all the varsity players expected to contribute in the fall. The large turnout gives the Lions an important head start in preparing for the varsity season.

The Eagles feature most of their core players as well, although players were mixed into different positions Tuesday with a short roster that included one bench player.

The Eagles (3-2) played well for most of the first half and into the second half before slowing down. As Longwood contained the ball in the Eagles' territory, it became a matter of time before the Lions punched one in.

With just over two minutes left, the Lions tied the game at one on a long kick by Gillian Murphy. The ball sailed high and over the outstretched arm of Rocky Point goalie Hope Heiselman, who is normally not a goalie.

While Murphy played in the backfield and is not typically a goal scorer, Huey said she was shooting all the way.

"She told us laces down, so she was going for a shot the whole way," he said with a laugh.

The Lions nearly took the lead shortly after when Breanna O'Donovan kicked a nifty pass to Colleen Fields, who just managed to say onside as she moved toward the goal. She had a great look at the goal but her shot went wide.

Longwood had two more chances in the final minute but couldn't convert as the game went to overtime.

In the second overtime period Fields and O'Donovan hooked up again, this time with Fields sending a long pass down the left side to O'Donovan, who took a few dribbles with no one in front of her before putting the ball in the back of the net with 1:00 left.

The goal was O'Donovan's fourth of the summer.

"If she keeps working hard the way she's been working she's going to have a great season," Manghan said.

The Eagles' lone goal came from Kara Mupo, who was an All-State player last year. Mupo is the key for Rocky Point in the midfield and the player who can create scoring opportunities for the strikers. Her goal with 7:20 left in the first half looked like it would be enough until the Lions rallied late. Mupo's goal was her fourth of the summer.

The leading scorer thus far in the summer has been Rocky Point's Jessica Hassett with eight. Hassett and Stephanie Mevs both showed off their tremendous speed, which led to numerous scoring chances. The Lions struggled to stay with either player.

Late in the second half Mevs, who's going into her sophomore year, got a breakaway on a long pass by Mupo and was tripped up by Jaelisa Rehal in the box for a penalty shot. She missed wide left, though, and the score remained 1-0 Rocky Point.

With Mupo in the midfield and the speedy strikers up top, the Eagles should be in position to contend for a league title this fall. The Eagles bump down from League V, which features powerhouse Islip and Sayville, creating a much more manageable schedule.

The Lions are still a young team, which makes it beneficial for Manghan and Huey to coach the summer team as opposed to observing. Many of the girls play on different club teams so bringing them together into Longwood's system is the key during the summer.

"Hard work is really the number one because every team in League I plays hard," Manghan said.