HPU men's soccer team battled back to earn a 2-2 tie with Big South newcomer Presbyterian Wednesday night at Edens Field at Martin Stadium.

The Panthers controlled the play of the game for the majority of the game, but were snake bitten on their goal attempts.  Their first opportunity came on back-to-back headers from Chris Shrum.  The senior flicked a Will Stewart throw-in on target which PC goalie William Redmond made a diving save on.  On the ensuing sequence, Ryan Puppolo served a ball into the box where Shrum's header went just wide of the far post.

Late in the first half Blue Hose put their first goal in when Chris Brophy hit a corner kick which Yinka Salaam connected on and put the host on top 1-0 in the 37th minute. 

HPU almost responded before the half ended when Michael Stephenson ripped a shot from 25-yards out which Redmond knocked out of bounds for the save.  With time winding down in the half, Daniel Clark almost had a breakaway, but had to take a long shot to beat the whistle.  The attempt went wide of the frame.

After a few halftime adjustments, the Panthers seemed poised to find the equalizer.  Unfortunately, that was put on hold for the moment as Sam Eastridge netted the second goal for the Blue Hose on a missed cleared attempt by the HPU defense.  

Shrum was on the end of another cross this time from Scott Rojo but the attempt went high of the crossbar.  Minutes later Puppolo played a ball into the box where Shrum hit the crossbar and Karo Okiomah was there to hit the rebound home for his fourth goal of the season.  The duo almost connected again at the 20 minute mark.  Shrum played a ball over the top to Okiomah who beat a defender and hit a bending shot that hit the inside of the near post and rolled out to a PC defender for a clear.  The Panthers hit their next crossbar off a Matt Tuttle corner kick which found the head of Michael Earman.  HPU finally got the tying goal when Stewart headed home a Rojo corner kick with six minutes remaining.

In the overtime, both teams played a bit cautiously not wanting to give up the golden goal.  High Point's best opportunity in extra time was when Puppolo took a shot just outside the 18-yard box, but was denied by Redmond. 

In goal, Michael Chesler had three saves for the Panthers and Redmond picked up six stops for PC.  A total of 34 fouls were committed in the contest, 15 by HPU.  They outshot the hosts 25-12 and also held a 8-3 advantage in corner kicks. 

"We need to stop conceding soft goals and start finishing better in the final third, that's the easy analysis," said head coach Dustin Fonder.  "However, there are some intangibles to take from this effort tonight.  No matter what the score is, our group always plays hard to the final whistle and believes they can get a positive result no matter the score.  I think that reflects on the senior leadership we are receiving this year."

The tie brings their season record to 6-6-2 and a 2-2-1 mark in the Big South.  It was their fourth positive result where they were trailing in which they came back to win or tie.  They also are in the midst of their best season since they transitioned to Division I status.  High Point now starts a four-game home stand, beginning on Saturday, October 25, when they take on Virginia Tech at Vert Track and Soccer Stadium.  The Panthers boast a 4-0-1 record at home and have given up only three goals on the season on their home turf.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.