CHARLOTTESVILLE, N.C – The High Point University men's soccer team fell to No. 14 University of Virginia 3-1 Tuesday night.
Head Coach Zach Haines: "Playing the #14 team in the country on the road with two days rest is a challenge, and that is the point. It makes us better for the postseason, and pushes us to improve and address certain aspects of our team. We were fantastic in the first half. But we got punished for a bad start to the second half. It is a shame because we put ourselves in a great position to get a result in 90 percent of the game with the level we played. Against top teams, that is not enough and it is the biggest thing we need to understand and apply for the rest of the season. If we do, it is clear that we can play with anyone. It is not about being perfect, it is about being switched on for the critical moments from start to finish."
The first half was back and forth play between the two teams. Possession started mostly in favor of the Cavaliers, but High Point was right there with them finding chances on their side of the pitch.
Virginia got on the board first in the 32nd minute. High Point kept them honest for the remaining of the first half, heading into the second down by one score.
High Point had a few shots on goal in the first, but the Virginia keeper was able to keep the Panthers off the board.
Within the first minute of the second half, Virginia netted one off a free kick. A few minutes later they were able to connect for another one in the 51st minute.
High Point was still fighting to get one on the board to get them going. Shots were piling up as the clock was ticking. In the 59th minute,
Brendan Krueger and
Tony Pineda were able to connect to get High Point on the board. This was Pineda's third goal of the year.
The Panthers had a few other chances to net one late, but nothing was able to fall.
High Point tallied 13 total shots tonight to Virginia's 8.
Up Next: High Point is back home for Senior Night in their last matchup of the regular season against Winthrop on Wednesday Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.
#GoHPU
