BOX SCORE

The High Point University women's soccer team allowed a single goal in the middle of the second half but it proved to be the difference in a 1-0 loss to Gardner-Webb Friday night in Boiling Springs, N.C. Senior Marisa Abbott (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) made three saves in the match.

“I thought we did some things really well tonight,” said head coach Marty Beall. “We created some dangerous chances on offense. We have to learn to put away those chances early in the game. In the first half, we had some golden opportunities that we let slip away from us and that was the difference in the game.”

High Point earned the better opportunities in the opening 45, taking three shots on frame to Gardner-Webb's two. Senior Laura Eldridge (Knoxville, Tenn./West) forced a great sliding save by the Bulldog keeper on a hard strike just inside the six-yard box and junior Sara Rager (Silver Spring, Md./Paintbranch) let loose a shot from about 20-yards out which the keeper managed to grab just under the cross bar. On the other side of the pitch, Abbott handled both GWU shots with little trouble to earn two first-half saves.

Gardner-Webb broke the scoreless stalemate 60th minute when Megan Reimer dribbled past two defenders to the center of the pitch and shot the ball to the right post from 25-yards out past a diving Abbott.

“Megan Reimer is a very dangerous player and she was dangerous one time against us and made us pay,” said Beall.” We have to become better at shutting down big time players if we want to make headway in this conference.”

In the 74th minute, Abbott preserved the one-goal difference with a diving save on a free kick by Gardner-Webb's Megan Tremblay. The Bulldog's Dawn Rollyston got her foot on the rebound but her shot hit the post.

The loss drops High Point to 2-12-0 overall and 1-2-0 in the Big South.

HPU returns to action on Sunday when the team travels to Rock Hill, S.C., to take on Winthrop. The game is scheduled to kick-off at 2 p.m.