WILMINGTON, N.C. - The High Point university men's soccer team fell in its first exhibition of the 2017 season, 2-1, at UNCW Saturday evening. The match was the first of three exhibitions for the Panthers this season.

"Tonight was a good learning curve for our team, in particular our new players," head coach EJ O'Keeffe said. "UNCW is a well-coached, disciplined team. With it being the first game of the year, there were good moments along with negative moments. I look forward to analyzing this game and improving as we progress in preseason."

The Panthers saw 21 players take the field, including eight freshman that played a majority of the final stages of the contest. Redshirt sophomore Keegan Meyer started and played the first 60 minutes in net before redshirt sophomore Pat Fallon took over for the final 30 minutes. The teams finished even 5-5 in shots with HPU outshooting UNCW 4-3 in the first half.

High Point fell behind in the eighth minute on a ball that was batted around the penalty box before Ben Fisher found the back of the net for the Seahawks. The Panthers immediately responded when redshirt senior Yosef Teffera bombed a shot from 30 yards out to even the score 1-1.

The score remained tied until the 50th minute when UNCW countered off a turnover at midfield and deposited it in the back of the net for a 2-1 advantage. High Point pushed late in the contest, earning consecutive corner kicks in the final 10 minutes. However, the UNCW defense held strong to preserve the victory.

HPU returns to action on Thursday, Aug. 17 at home against Greensboro College at 4 p.m in the team's lone home exhibition. Two days later, the Panthers will travel to Charlotte for the final preseason contest at 6 p.m. The Purple and White open the season on Friday, Aug. 25 at home against Howard at 4 p.m.

#GoHPU