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The High Point University men's soccer team overcame an early goal by UNC Greensboro to beat the Spartans, 3-1, on Tuesday night in Vert Stadium. Junior Karo Okiomah and sophomore Fejiro Okiomah each had a goal and an assist to give the Panthers their first win over UNCG since 1977.

“I am very pleased with the team's performance and their character tonight,” head coach Dustin Fonder said. “We gave up a goal early, but no one hung their heads and instead they attacked with more urgency. We just said hey we are going to have to score one to equalize and more to win it. Our offense has started to click on all cylinders and I think we will find games where we will score in bunches.”

High Point controlled play early in the match but in the tenth minute UNC Greensboro's Eli Garner scored against the run of play to go up 1-0. Garner got behind the backline and dribbled into the penalty area from the left flank before letting loose with hard shot from about 10-yards out. HPU goalkeeper Michael Chesler appeared to stop the blistering volley but the ball caromed off the keeper and over the line to put UNCG up 1-0.

The Panthers battled back from the early setback, maintaining possession for large chunks of time and in the 27th minute, Fejiro Okiomah pulled HPU level with his third goal of the season. Karo Okiomah controlled the ball at the top of the 18 and hit a well-weighted pass through the defense to Fejiro Okiomah who spun off a defender and hit a hard shot from six-yards out through the hands of the keeper.

High Point continued to attack the UNCG backline and in the 36th minute pulled ahead on a goal by sophomore Shane Malcolm. Fejiro Okiomah started the play by dribbling through two defenders to the left end line before hitting a cross back across the face of goal. The cross ran just past senior Scott Rojo and looked to be headed out the other side of the 18 when Malcolm ran onto it at the right post, hitting it into the open net.

“When we fell down by a goal I said to myself that we just need to pick it up and do something,” Fejiro Okiomah said. “The team really came out after that and put forth a great team effort to come back and get the win.”

The first half came to a close with the Panthers still maintaining a one-goal advantage, 2-1. High Point dominated the period, outshooting the Spartans, 12-4, and earning six crosses while UNCG had none.

High Point came out in the second half and continued to press the attack, forcing two saves by UNC Greensboro's Peyton Ford in the first ten minutes of the period. In the 58th minute, Karo Okiomah gave the Panthers an insurance goal with his fifth tally of the season. Rojo picked up the ball at the midfield and laid off a perfectly weighted through ball to Karo Okiomah who ran onto it in the right side of the box. The junior then let loose a rocket which took a slight deflection off a defender and into the side netting.

As time wound down the Spartans attack intensified with UNCG outshooting High Point by a margin of 8-1 in the final 20 minutes but UNC Greensboro was unable to break down the organized defense of the Panthers.

The win by High Point breaks a 10-game losing streak against UNC Greensboro, including an 0-7-0 record since the Panthers joined Division I in 1999. HPU improves to 5-2-1 on the season while UNCG falls to 4-4-1.

The Panthers return to Vert Stadium for the third and final game of the current homestand on Saturday, Oct. 2, when they take on the Richmond Spiders. Kick-off for the game is set for 7 p.m. Last season, High Point beat Richmond, 2-1, at the JMU Comfort Inn Invitational in Harrisonburg, Va.