East Tennessee State scored two second half goals to secure a 2-0 non-conference victory over High Point.
After a very slow start to the game, things started to pick-up midway through the first half. The Panthers got their first good chance in the first half with 27:16 left when sophomore Scott Rojo took a shot but was denied by goalie James Holt. ETSU almost got on the board when Andrew Brown's shot went just wide of the far left post. HPU goalie Michael Chesler made a good save denying the Bucs on another opportunity with just under 10 minutes in the half. High Point kept a blank sheet in the first half for the fourth consecutive game.
Finally in the second half, the Buccaneers got the first goal on a counter-attack when Tyler Hoek raced down field and laid the ball off to Nathaniel McElroy who then served the ball across to Sean Hoek who headed in the game-winning goal.
High Point kept the pressure on throughout the second half, but were unable to find the back of the net. A shot from senior Chris Shrum went wide of the net and less than a minute later freshman Will Stewart hit a blast from 25-yards out which Holt made a diving save on to keep the blank sheet.
The Bucs sealed the deal with a goal as High Point sent everyone up for a long throw-in and Brown gathered a cleared ball and took a shot form 40-yards out with Chesler off his line.
In the end, the Panthers held a 14-11 edge in shots and 4-2 advantage in corner kicks. Chesler played the full 90 minutes making three saves. Holt picked up the win for ETSU and had five saves.
"I am very disappointed in our effort today," said head coach Dustin Fonder. "Success is based on hard work and today was a huge step backwards for us. As we try to create a winning culture here, we need everyone to buy into that. I feel confident we will as we head into conference play"
High Point stays on the road as it travels to North Carolina State on Wednesday September 24. The Wolfpack are coming off a 5-0 loss to Virginia on Friday, September 19. Kick-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
