• The Panthers took a 2-0 loss this Saturday, dropping the final of their two preseason games 2-0 at home
• Coming in at half time, HPU's Scott Weigel tallied both of his team's stops on the night, including a breakaway save to keep his team within striking range late in the contest
• Multiple freshman newcomers made impacts for Panthers Head Coach EJ O'Keeffe with midfielder Tony Pineda steering his lone attempt of the night on frame 

High Point, N.C.- With both sides sharing chances in the early stages of Saturday night's match, the Seahawks would be the first to break the scoreless tie on a centering pass inside the six-yard box in the 10th minute.

Behind early, the Panthers would surmount some offensive pressure through the remainder of the opening half, as an increase in possession led to multiple scoring opportunities for the home side. Forward Siggi Benonysson appeared to have tallied the equalizer during the 30th minute of play, after delivering on a corner from Reyong Choi. The tying goal would be called back due to a foul however, and the Panthers would be forced to take the one goal deficit into the break.

Second half action would provide back and forth opportunities for both sides, as the hosts began to find space on the counter attack. With 23 minutes remaining in regulation, newcomer Tony Pineda used a well-timed run up the middle to create a one-on-one opportunity, but a quick reaction from the Seahawks keeper kept HPU off the scoreboard. Down by a single tally, High Point's offense continued to send men forward in the later stages while working the both of their offensive wings, making trouble for the UNCW defense on multiple occasions.

With an all out effort on the offensive front, the Panthers would be short back in their own end, allowing the visiting Seahawks to capitalize on a counter attack of their own in the final 10 minutes of the contest. UNCW's second tally of the night would be enough to ensure a victory for the Wilmington squad, as HPU ended its final match of the preseason on a 2-0 loss. 

"Either way you look at it we're 0-0-0, and we have everything to play for Friday night." said Coach O'Keeffe at the end of Saturday night's matchup, "We're still learning with a lot of new guys. We're very excited about this group."

COMING UP NEXT
The High Point University Panthers open the regular season this coming Friday at Wofford with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. in Spartanburg, S.C. HPU enters the 2018 season after winning the Big South Conference regular season championship the previous campaign, and was recently ranked first overall in this year's Big South Preseason Poll.

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