The High Point University women's soccer team closed their current home stand with their second consecutive shutout topping Presbyterian College, 2-0, on Wednesday night at Richard F. Vert Track and Soccer Stadium.
The win upped the Panthers season tally to 3-9-0 and marked their second straight victory while Presbyterian fell to 3-7-0 dropping their sixth consecutive game.
For the third game in a row, High Point used an aggressive pressure offense to win the battle of the stats. HPU outshot PC 19-5 for the game including a 10-1 advantage in the first period. The Panthers also recorded a 4-1 edge in shots on goal and a 9-2 lead in corner kicks.
"I was proud of our focus and effort in tonight's game," said HPU head coach Michelle Rayner. "It is a good sign to see this team play a solid 90 minutes in a non-conference game squeezed in the middle of our conference schedule. I thought we did a good job of creating scoring opportunities, but we must continue to work at finishing those chances. In all my years of soccer, I have never seen so many shots hit a round crossbar or goalpost and not bounce in the goal."
In an all too familiar theme this season, High Point had multiple shots against the Blue Hose deflect off the goal post and cross bar.
Senior forward Traci Andersen got the Panthers on the board first converting on a perfectly played corner kick by sophomore Leslie Long in the 33rd minute (32:51). Long launched a corner from the right side to the far post where Andersen squared up a header into the opposite side of the net. It was her third goal of the season and Long's first assist.
That was the only goal of the opening period as HPU's defense limited Presbyterian to just a single shot attempt.
The two squads traded a couple of scoring chances early in the second half but neither could find the back of the net. HPU finally added an insurance score in the 84th minute (83:59) when freshman Courtney Spotts slipped a pass through the PC defense to Long on the left side, who pushed the ball past the Blue Hose keeper. It was Long's second goal of the season and Spotts' first helper.
Andersen and freshman Laura Eldridge paced the Panther's with four shots each as 10 different HPU players recorded a shot attempt. Joyce Claire finished with three of PC's five tries.
HPU freshman goalkeeper Marisa Abbott picked up her second win and shutout improving to 2-5-0 on the year. Abbott finished with one save in the game while Presbyterian goalie Erin Sinkuler tallied a pair of saves.
High Point makes a quick turnaround making a return to Big South Conference play with a game at UNC Asheville on Friday at 4 p.m.
