HPU men's soccer team defeated Virginia Tech 2-1 tonight at Vert Track and Soccer Stadium in a non-conference match-up.
The flow of the game started out real slow as both teams tried possessing the ball and feeling each other out. High Point had the first opportunity of the game in the 10th minute when Scott Rojo served a ball into the box which Karo Okiomah could not connect on. The Panthers were able to put one on the board in the 27th minute when Rojo beat a defender and hit a beautiful shot to the far left upper-ninety to give the home team the early advantage. Minutes later Justin Pruetz came down the right side and passed to Matt Tuttle who faked the trap and the ball wound up on the foot of Chris Shrum. Shrum took a dribble around a defender and fired a shot that went just high of the net. The senior intercepted an errant Hokie pass and raced down field on a breakaway and flicked the ball over a sliding VT goalie and give the Panthers a 2-0 lead with 2:50 remaining in the half.
The second half opened up the same way as the game began and not many opportunities were created in the initial start of play. Shrum almost connected on his second goal of the day when headed a Tuttle cross but VT Goalie Thomas St. Germain made the save.
The Hokies started coming on as the half progressed and had a nice opportunity when James Gilson took a shot but was denied by keeper Michael Chesler. A minute later, Scott Dillie finally got the visitors on the board when he volleyed a shot from 15 yards out and found the back of the net. VT had a flurry of corner kicks, but were unable to find the equalizer. It seemed as if they finally did Emmanuel Akogyeram ripped a shot, but Pruetz denied the attempt on the open frame to secure the 2-1 advantage.
In goal for the Panthers, Chesler played the full 90 minutes totaling four saves. For Virginia Tech, Brendan Dunn started the game and suffered the loss, playing the first half making one save while giving up both goals. Germain played the second half and tallied three saves in relief. The shot count was even as both teams took 10 attempts and VT held a 9-3 edge in corner kicks.
The series between the two sides is now evened up at one apiece. HPU boasts a 2-0 record against the ACC this year defeating NC State earlier in the season by 2-1 score as well. It is also the first time they have ever defeated two ACC teams in one season. The Panthers continue their rebounding effort as their seven wins thus far equals the highest total since the 2004 season. High Point also stayed undefeated at home as they improved to 5-0-1 on the season at Vert Track and Soccer Stadium and are the only Big South school without a loss at home.
"It is great for us to get a win against such a well-respected program as Virginia Tech," said head coach Dustin Fonder. "I thought we fought hard and deserved the result, but Tech put a few scares into us late in the match. We are a young group and as we mature, we will start to do a better job in closing out matches. We have two big conference matches this week and we are looking forward to the students getting back on campus and showing their support that they have all season."
The Panthers continue their season long home stand on Tuesday, October 28, when they host UNC Asheville. The Bulldogs pulled a 1-0 upset over first place Winthrop tonight and the match-up will be critical in deciding the conference tournament match-ups. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Vert Track and Soccer Stadium.
