BOX SCORE
PHOTO GALLERY
A late goal by junior
Margaret Fanning erased a one-goal deficit as the High Point University women's soccer team fought Winthrop to a 1-1 draw in Vert Stadium on Monday night. The Panthers outshot Winthrop, 24-8, in the game and limited the Eagles to just two shots after halftime.
"Once agains we did not show up to play in the first, half, gave up an early goal and missed some pretty easy chances," head coach
Marty Beall said. "I thought we were fantastic in the second half. We limited them to just one shot in the second half and created numerous chances in front of goal."
Trailing 1-0, Fanning pulled HPU even with a beautiful goal from 20-yards out in the 86th minute. After getting kicked around the box, the ball popped out to Fanning who stood just outside the top right corner of the penalty area. Fanning one-touched the ball with her left foot and bent it over the keeper into the top left corner of the net. The goal was the first of Fanning's collegiate career.
"It was very exciting to score that goal," Fanning said. "It was my first college goal so that was great. We worked a lot on bending the ball so that is what I tried to do. I saw the ball just outside the 18 and just tried to bend it with my left foot and it went in."
High Point continued to press forward looking for the go-ahead score but as regulation ended the game remained deadlocked, 1-1, sending it to extra time.
High Point's best opportunity in extra time came in the 120th minute on the Panthers' 10th corner kick of the evening. Sophomore Danielle Scheppler lofted the kick into the box where junior
Katie Taber managed to get a good foot on it but the shot was blocked. The ball bounced out to junior
Brielle Spencer but her lofted follow was hit out over the crossbar.
In the first half, High Point held a 10-6 shot advantage, including five shots on frame but it was WU that carried a 1-0 lead into the break after Courtney Durbin scored on a counter attack. The Eagles cleared the ball to Allie Vandewater who started a four-on-three counter attack. Vandewater carried the ball to the edge of the 18 before laying it off to Durbin at the left post who hit it cleanly into the empty net.
The Panthers pressed forward looking for an equalizer in the second half but struggled to find openings against an organized Winthrop defense. HPU put up seven shots in the period but only two challenged the Eagles' keeper.
This is the third straight time that High Point and Winthrop has played each other to a draw in the last two seasons. The Panthers and Eagles played to a 0-0 tie in Rock Hill, S.C., during Big South play last season and then again in the Big South Championship game. HPU won the Big South crown by beating Winthrop, 4-2, in penalty kicks.
High Point moves to 4-9-1 overall and 2-1-1 in the Big South with the Draw while Winthrop improves to 1-8-2 overall and 1-1-1 in the Big South.
The Panthers hit the road for their next three games, starting with a match at Big South preseason favorite Liberty on Saturday, Oct. 16. The Panthers fell to Liberty, 2-0 at home last season and will look to return the favor when the two squads meet in Lynchburg, Va. Kick-off is set for 5 p.m.