BOX SCORE

The No. 30-ranked High Point University men's soccer team's comeback fell short as the Panthers dropped a 3-1 decision to Coastal Carolina in the Big South Conference Championship Game on Sunday afternoon at Vert Stadium.

“We unfortunately did not start off the way we wanted to play,” head coach Dustin Fonder said. “We were too square and negative with our passing and that is not when we are at our best. We are best when we are playing in the other team's half and playing with tempo and pace. We knew what Coastal was going to do. They are a physical and aggressive group and they took us out of our game.”

Trailing by two early in the second half, Sophomore Shawn Sloan pulled the Panthers to within one with a penalty kick in the 56th minute. The Panthers managed to draw the foul when sophomore Fejiro Okiomah was pulled down in the box on a free kick.

HPU looked poised to tie the contest just eight minutes later when sophomore Patrick Donahue caught the Chanticleer's Scott Angevine off his line on a shot from 30-yards out but the ball hit hard off the crossbar and was cleared by the CCU defense.

High Point continued to press forward looking for the equalizing goal, constantly sending the ball into Coastal's 18 over the final 25 minutes of the game but was unable to find a second score.

The Chanticleers sealed the game in the 85th minute when junior Michael Chesler was called for a foul in the box and CCU's Joe Anderson stepped forward and connected on the penalty kick for his third goal of the game.

HPU fell behind by two goals in the first 20 minutes of the contest as the Anderson scored twice in an 11 minute span for CCU. The Chants' first goal came in the sixth minute on a header by Anderson. Coastal drew a free kick on the right side and CCU's Robbie Joe Daniels sent a cross into the box where Anderson headed it just inside the far post.

Coastal then doubled its lead in the 17th minute when Anderson latched onto a loose ball that Chesler appeared to possess and hit a one-timer to the right post for a 2-0 lead.

High Point outshot CCU in the game, 14-8, holding the Chanticleers to just two shots in the second half, but the Panthers only managed three shots on goal in the game as Coastal continually flooded the box with defenders.

The match between the two top teams in the Big South was a physical one with 58 fouls called in the game and nine yellow cards shown by the officials.

Coastal's Ross Kelly was named Big South Tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament team by Joe Anderson, Scott Angevine and Alex Russell from CCU and Sloan, Fejiro Okiomah and junior Karo Okiomah from High Point.

With the loss, High Point finishes the season with a 16-4-1 mark and will await word Monday, Nov. 15, on whether or not the team will receive an invite to the NCAA Tournament. Coastal improves to 12-7-2 overall with the win.

Big South All-Tournament Team
Ross Kelly, Coastal Carolina (MVP)
Joe Anderson, Coastal Carolina
Scott Angevine, Coastal Carolina
Alex Russell, Coastal Carolina
Fejiro Okiomah, High Point
Karo Okiomah, High Point
Shawn Sloan, High Point
Luis Grande, Radford
Brendan Shaffer, Radford
Romeo Kabanda, Gardner-Webb
Jon Ole Reinhardsen, Gardner-Webb
Matt Stinson, Winthrop
Brian Harding, VMI
Chris Osborne, Liberty
Lassi Hurskainen, UNC Asheville