High Point senior forward Jen Evans found the back of the net just over two minutes into the first overtime period giving the Panthers a 1-0 victory over Liberty on Saturday night at Vert Stadium in Big South Conference women's soccer action.
Evans, the program's all-time leader in game-winning scores, collected a loose ball in front of the net after it slipped through the hands of Flames goalkeeper Ashley Nyholt and sent it into an open net for the game ending tally. It was her 10th career game winning score and her third in a row.
With the win, High Point improves to 7-5-2 on the season with a 3-1 record in Big South play. The victory was the third straight for HPU and snapped a nine-game winless streak in overtime contests. The Panthers last previous extra session win was a 4-3 overtime victory at Coastal Carolina on Sept. 25, 2005. Liberty falls to 4-9 overall and 1-3 in the Conference.
"I was very proud of our performance and hard work tonight," said HPU head coach Michelle Rayner. "This was a well-deserved result for our team. Liberty is an outstanding team who we always have very competitive matches against. It was nice to finally have a little luck go our direction. With all the injuries we've suffered the last few weeks, I think we have done a great job of pulling together and working hard for each other."
High Point controlled much of the action in the opening half holding a 6-4 advantage in shot attempts and a 3-1 edge in corner kicks. The Flames turned up the heat in the second half posting an 8-1 shot advantage. Liberty's best scoring chance came in the 72nd minute when Christina McDonald blasted a shot from the top of the box that hit the crossbar and fell at the feet of Maria Owen, who lifted the rebound over an open net.
HPU sophomore goalkeeper Marisa Abbott tallied four saves in earning her fifth shutout this season while Nyholt finished with a pair of saves in the pipes for Liberty.
For the game, Liberty owned a 12-8 edge in shot attempts but trailed 7-4 in corner kicks.
High Point concludes its home schedule on Wednesday when the Panthers host in-state Big South rival UNC Asheville at 7 p.m. HPU's senior class will be honored in a pre-game ceremony.
