Chris Archer scored twice and Patrick Althoff added another tally, but top-seeded and host Birmingham-Southern rallied from a 2-1 halftime deficit for three second-half goals to outlast High Point, 4-3, Friday night in a battle of Panthers and a first-round contest in the 2004 Big South Conference Men's Soccer Championship in Birmingham.

BSC avenged a 4-1 loss to High Point back on Oct. 31 and improves to 10-6-1 on the season. HPU finishes the season at 7-12-1.

Senior goalkeeper Chris Michener made eight saves in his final game for HPU.

Althoff was named to the Big South's All-Tournament Team.

Archer gave High Point a 1-0 lead in the 9th minute with an unassisted score, and after BSC's Jamie Holmes tied things up with a header that found the net in the 33rd minute, Althoff broke through in the 39th for his sixth goal of the year on a rocket from 30 yards out to give HPU a 2-1 lead it would take to halftime.

Holmes scored his second goal of the game in the 48th minute to knot things at 2-2. BSC took then took its first lead of the contest in the 68th minute on Nick Barcelona's unassisted tally, and added an 80th-minute score by Karim Dietz off an assist from Floreal Pedrazo for a 4-2 advantage.

Yet High Point refused to quit. Archer notched his 15th goal of the year and second of the game when he took a pass from Althoff and pushed a shot past BSC keeper Joseph Anthony to pull HPU within 4-3 in the 83rd.

But HPU ran out of time and fell just short of knocking off the top seed on its home field. The visiting Panthers were in it to the end despite being outshot by a 21-11 count.

Archer had five of High Point's eight shots. Anthony made just one save to earn the win in goal for BSC.

The physical contest featured 39 fouls and eight yellow cards.

Birmingham-Southern will meet Liberty in the second semifinal Saturday (6:30 pm). Coastal Carolina and UNC Asheville will square off in the day's first match (4:00 pm).