• High Point University men's soccer secures its sixth straight victory this homecoming weekend against Longwood, once again grabbing a 2-1 win in overtime
• Ilias Kosmidis scored his ninth of the year with less than four minutes remaining, while freshman Tony Pineda recorded a goal and an assist on the afternoon
• The Panthers doubled up on the Lancers, outshooting the visiting side 14-7, despite playing over 70 minutes down a man

HIGH POINT, N.C. - High Point University men's soccer claimed its sixth straight victory this Saturday afternoon, conquering visiting Longwood 2-1, in a homecoming double-overtime win. 

"What a gutsy performance from everyone on our team and on our staff," said Head Coach EJ O'Keeffe. "To go down a man for 60-plus minutes, 80 with the overtime, and to win the match, and to deserve to win the match, is unbelievable. I told the guys after the game, this is one of the best wins I've been apart of. It was a gutsy performance by our group and I'm extremely pleased."

Both sides seemed content to feel each other out in the opening minutes, with both the Panthers and the Lancers combing for just three shots in the opening 20-plus minutes. The visitors would be the first to aim one on frame, however HPU would be the first to get on the scorecard, with freshman Tony Pineda collecting his fourth goal of the year on an assist from teammate Jonathan Bolanos.

Running down the left side, Pineda collected a pass from Bolanos before cutting back across the face of goal and delivering a shot to the right upper-90 from 12 yards out. 

The Panthers collected their first red card of the season just moments later on a controversial call at midfield. The hosting side was forced to play a man down for the continuation of the match, but managed to get to the break ahead by a single goal.

Despite having just 10 men on the field, High Point continued to be the aggressor, controlling the majority of possession through the opening 20 minutes of the second half. It took just a single counter attack chance for the Lancers however, evening the playing field at 1-1 on a headed cross in the 66th minute.

Unwilling to settle for a draw, O'Keeffe's side continued to provide pressure, outshooting the visitors 5-1 in the final 20 minutes of regulation. Unable to break through the Longwood defense, the Panthers were forced to go to extra time for the third time this season.

The two sides were held in a stalemate during the first period of OT, with the Lancers getting the lone shot of the term. As he'd done since the start of the second half Ilias Kosmidis continued to make problems for the visiting defense, nearly ending the match in the 104th on a cross from the edge of the six.

It would be the junior forward to finally put the match to an end, pocketing his ninth of the season in the 107th minute of play. Looking to add to his point total on the day, Pineda took control of a loose ball at the edge of the 18 before beating his mark into the box. With a pair of Lancers crashing down to get in the way of the freshman's shot, Pineda laid off a ball to an open Kosmidis who cut back across goal to finish a left-footed strike inside the right side-netting. 

Entering the weekend ranked 13th in goals and 17th in points, Kosmidis' tally gives the junior a league-high nine and 20 respectively. This is the second match in a row the Panthers have won a contest in double-overtime, following the Pineda goal in Wednesday's 2-1 victory against UNC Asheville.

>> Kosmidis and Pineda have combined for 18 points in their team's current streak, with all five of the latter's coming in the previous two matches
>> Bolanos' helper gives the junior three assists on the year and two in his last four appearances
>> While he was only challenged a handful of times, goalkeeper Keegan Meyer turned away a pair of saves on the afternoon. The junior just recently earned Big South Defensive Player of the Week, and has surrendered just two goals in his last five starts

COMING UP NEXT
• The Panthers set out to face off with the No. 1 team in the country this coming Tuesday, competing with Wake Forest in Winston-Salem at 7 p.m.
• HPU is 2-7-2 against the Demon Deacons all-time, but took the club to the brink last season, falling 1-0 in double overtime

#GoHPU