HIGH POINT, N.C. - High Point University women's soccer clinched their first win of the season Monday night, with a golden goal from senior Kyle Levesque clinching an overtime win for the Panthers in the annual Piedmont Triad Derby. With time ticking down below seven seconds in period one of overtime, Levesque lined up for a free kick that she delivered into the left upper-90 for a 2-1 win over visiting UNCG as the clock expired.

"It has to be a top [goal of my career]," said Levesque in postgame. "To score an overtime game-winner in a game like that, where the teams are battling back and forth, we earned that win like no other."

"[We] brought a lot of energy," said Head Coach Brandi Fontaine. "We had players show up that hadn't been showing up as much in recent games. It was good to finally see their confidence and for them to put together a really good game for us. Our freshmen really stepped up tonight. Chloe [Winn] and Emma [Schossler] just really taking it under their wing and showing us what they are capable of doing and what they were showing us in preseason. To finally see it come back was great."

After going without a goal in their first three matches of the season, the Panthers' offense got to work early against the Spartans, with junior Chloe Le Franc providing the go ahead goal in the 13th minute. Receiving a layoff pass from forward Alex Palmer, Le Franc cut the ball back to her right foot before sending her shot on frame from nearly 25 yards out. With the UNCG keeper on her heels, the pace of the French international's shot was too much for the netminder, as Le Franc's finish struck the underside of the crossbar before crossing the goalline and giving the home side a 1-0 lead.

Le Franc nearly completed a brace in the first half alone, as the junior took another shot from distance in the 28th. The UNCG keeper was up to task in this instance however, as the Panthers were forced to settle for a one-goal advantage going into the break.

Steering away the Spartans' first four shots on goal, starting HPU keeper Talia Klimes was beaten for the first and only time on the night in the 53rd minute after a well placed cross from Maddy Gilhool gave UNCG forward Nicole Souple the easy finish for an equalizer. Klimes was unbeatable for the remainder of regulation however, as the senior made another pair of stops to finish the first 90 minutes, in addition to spoiling multiple UNCG opportunities on the cross.

With everything even at one apiece, the Panthers entered their first overtime period of 2019 on Monday night, controlling pace of play from start to finish. In a match that produced just 14 fouls, the Purple & White received a free kick in the waning seconds of the first 10 minutes of extra time, with Levesque and Juliette Vidal lining up for a set piece just outside the edge of the 18 to left of the goal frame. Vidal submitted to the right-footed Levesque who delivered a finish for the ages, clearing the UNCG wall with a shot that ducked down just inches under the crossbar. Hitting the left upper-90, the senior's strike left no opportunity for the UNCG keeper and clinched the Panthers' first win of the season and their first golden goal victory since a 3-2 win over visiting Winthrop in 2017 (10/14/17).

"Well, there wasn't much time left and everyone was kind of yelling, so we kind of knew someone just had to kick it," said Levesque. "So I just went for it with everyone yelling and there was a lot of chaos and it just went in."

Klimes finished the night with a save-total of six as the Panther defense kept the Spartan offense to just six shots on goal, despite UNCG taking 22 attempts at net overall. Le Franc tied for a match-high with two shots on goal on the evening, while freshman Emma Schossler took a career-high three attempts at net.

"[We] have battled some tough teams where we are defending and have offensive chances... and had winnable games," said Fontaine. "Being able to take this opportunity and grab a hold of it is huge for our confidence as we roll into our next few games. I am excited about where we are at and about moving forward and seeing where the team goes from here."

The Purple & White get back on the road this Thursday, traveling to Williamsburg for a matchup with CAA-opponent William & Mary. The Panthers hold a 1-1 record against the Tribe all-time, defeating the side in a 3-2 overtime finish during their last meeting in 2016. 

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