BALTIMORE, Md. — In the team's first-ever meeting, the High Point University women's soccer team defeated the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Thursday night, 1-0.
SITE: Retriever Soccer Park
SCORE: High Point 1, UMBC 0
RECORDS: High Point (2-2-3), UMBC (2-5)
Head Coach Aaron McGuiness: "It's always nice to come away with a win. I felt as though we dominated a good portion of the game, and we are getting into the right spaces, we just have to look at those final decisions to make sure we are putting the ball in the back of the net more frequently.
"You don't take any win lightly and we've got to build on it. We have to work on those things that can get us those goals and keep moving forward and start to build that winning attitude."
The Panthers fired off 24 shots compared to the Retrievers' six as 14 came in the first half. The Panthers' handful of chances were finally gifted in the 60th minute. Attacking the net,
Lilly Neubauer got pulled down from behind in the box which resulted in a yellow and penalty kick.
Fifth-year captain
Fain Buete took the PK honors as she deposited the ball into the left side, scoring her first goal of the season and handing HPU a lead it wouldn't lose.
"We've had a lot of chances this season and it's good to just get it in the back of the net," Buete said. "I know we've worked really hard in practice to finish the goals, so I'm really happy with the result."
Goalkeeper
Ellyn Casto protected the lead with her third shutout this season as the graduate transfer recorded five saves, including a massive one in the final seconds of the first half.
It was a breath of fresh air for the Panthers to get back into the win column as it was for the Maryland natives,
Megan Garmey and
Bri Davis, to be back in their home state. The team had dinner at the Garmey's house Wednesday night, while both families were in the stands cheering on the hometown players.
"I obviously love home, but what drew me to High Point was the culture and family atmosphere, which made me feel like I was home," Davis said. "UMBC is a really good team, so it's always nice to come home and get a win."
Up Next: The Panthers will begin the bus trip back south with a pit stop at Old Dominion University for a matchup Sunday at 4 p.m.
#GoHPU
