HIGH POINT, N.C. – On a windy and rainy Sunday night, the High Point University men's soccer team found a way to remain undefeated in Big South Conference play as second-half goals from
Daniel Lugo and
Beau Yantz propelled the Panthers to a 2-0 win over USC Upstate.
Site: Vert Stadium
Score: #5 High Point 2, USC Upstate 0
Records: High Point (8-1-3, 4-0-0), USC Upstate (4-8-1, 2-2-0)
Head Coach Zach Haines: "Upstate had a good game plan. They made it challenging along with the conditions tonight. Our guys got the job done and that's all that matters. This was the final game in our most hectic stretch of the season in number of games and road trips. We will make good use of this week to gain more momentum heading into the last stretch of the regular season."
From kickoff, the two teams battled it out under misty rain and wind conditions.
Josh Caron made his presence known early behind goal in the 11th minute, diving out for a ball from USC Upstate and deflecting it out of bounds.
HPU had a couple looks to get on the scoreboard but none better than a breakaway shot attempt from
Alfred Baafi in the 11th minute, following the Caron save, that ended up going just right of the net.
The two Big South opponents went into halftime scoreless. The Panthers outshot USC Upstate, 7-0, and held USC Upstate to its single shot on goal in the first 45 minutes.
The second half got underway, and despite great opportunities at goal from an attacking HPU, the game remained scoreless.
Noah Behrmann,
Prosper Adagani,
Celestin Blondel, and
Jefferson Amaya each had shots that were blocked.
After knocking on the door the entire half, HPU ended the stalemate and ripped the game open with a score by none other than Big South's leading goal scorer, Lugo, in the 76th minute.
Lukas Kamrath found Yantz on the near side corner who would chip cross the ball inside the goal box, finding Lugo's head for his eighth goal of the season and his fourth game-winning goal for the 1-0 advantage. It was a double-assist from Kamrath and Yantz; Kamrath's first of the season.
The Panthers weren't done yet as Amaya placed a beautiful ball up field to Lugo, who would take a few dribbles before cutting back and finding the trailing left foot of Yantz as he kicked in his second goal of the season in the 83rd minute for the commanding 2-0 lead. It was Lugo's third three-point game and Yantz' first.
After not scoring in the first 75 minutes, HPU knocked in two within seven minutes late in the game to seal the 2-0 win for the Panthers' fifth shutout victory, and their fourth conference win of the season.
After no shots on goal in the first half from the Panthers, their offensive attack recorded five in the second half, and 12 total shots compared to USC Upstate's four total shots in the second half. The 12 shots from HPU added onto its total of 19 for the game, compared to USC Upstate's, eight. The Panthers also held USC Upstate to two corner kicks while tallying four.
Caron came up huge behind the net, finishing with four saves and his fifth clean sheet for the goalkeeper.
HPU remains unbeaten in its series history against USC Upstate, posting a 10-0-3 record since the two teams first battled it out in 2009. With the victory, HPU jumps back into the No. 1 spot in the Big South rankings with 12 points which is two points ahead of No. 2, Gardner-Webb.
Up Next: The Panthers are back on the road as they head to Radford, Va., to take on Radford University on Saturday, October 12 at 2 p.m.
#GoHPU
