The High Point women's soccer team came up just short of earning a treat against Charleston Southern dropping a 3-2 decision to the Lady Bucs in a Halloween matinee match on Wednesday afternoon.
With the loss, High Point slips to 8-7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big South. The win allows CSU to improve to 11-6 and also move into a tie for second place in the Big South standings with HPU at 4-2.
High Point dominated play in the game's first few minutes spending a majority of the time in and around their offensive zone. The Lady Bucs thwarted several early scoring chances by the Panther attackers.
In the 18th minute, Jen Vroman made a strong run in the HPU box and drew a foul after a hard tackle by a Panther defender. Vroman stepped forward to take the penalty kick, but her effort to the far post was denied by Panther goalkeeper Marissa Abbott, who guessed correctly with her diving save.
After a few more High Point threats, including CSU keeper Jena Uvalle's save on a Beckie Lesh effort in the 24th, the Bucs would get the day's first goal. Jessica Kim supplied an well directed ball from the back that landed just ahead of Michelle Dennis, who chased down the pass and found the back of the net after beating a final High Point defender.
The Panthers would strike back quickly tallying the equalizer just one minute and nine seconds later. Senior Amy Anzovino's cross found Lesh in the middle of the box. Lesh settled the pass and then spun past her defenders and finished into the near net to record her team-leading fifth goal of the year.
After a physical end to the first half, the second half opened with offensive fireworks on both ends. The first highlight belonged to the Bucs' Marky Boyce in the 52nd minute. The midfielder gathered a cross from Emma Mattsson in the middle of the box with her chest, then raced to control the ball with her feet before it could be cleared by the onrushing High Point defenders. With the ball controlled, Boyce slotted a shot into the near net past Abbot to return CSU to the lead.
The lead would last longer just a bit longer this time for Charleston Southern, as it took HPU until the 57th minute to knot the score again. This time sophomore defender Courtney Spotts grabbed an errant clear attempt and unleashed a tough shot from 30 yards out that found the upper net over a leaping Uvalle. The goal was Spotts' first career tally.
The score seemed to re-awaken the High Point offense, as the Panthers would control the play for the better part of the next twenty minutes. High Point mustered a remarkable eight corner kicks during the stretch, yet could record no shots on net as CSU's backline and goalkeeper kept making goal-stopping plays.
The Lady Bucs would convert the game winning score on a counter attack off a failed HPU corner kick. Boyce sent a ball to the far side of the field in the direction of Mattsson, who surged past her defenders to catch up to the ball, then dribbled around Abbott in a one-on-one situation before sending the ball into an open net.
The Panthers posted several other late chances to even the score but were unable to get the equalizer for a third time on the day. For the game, High Point out-shot Charleston Southern 20-8 and also held a 14-2 advantage in corner kick attempts.
High Point will close the regular season on the road at Winthrop on Saturday at 1 p.m. before returning to Charleston next week to participate in the Big South Conference Championship Tournament.
