Fourth-seeded High Point got off and running Saturday night with a goal in the fourth minute, plus two more in the 25th minute to open a 3-0 lead in the first half on their way to a 5-0 victory over the fifth-seeded Longwood University Lancers.
"Good teams have bad days, and that was exactly what happened to us tonight," said Longwood women’s soccer head coach Todd Dyer on the official Longwood athletics website. "That first goal was a bit fluky, and that obviously rattled us a bit. From that point on, we allowed too much space to play, too many crosses into our box and then we lost those battles in critical areas. Good teams make you pay for that, and High Point demonstrated that tonight."
The Lancers came into the contest as one of the stingiest defenses in the Big South averaging 0.97 goals allowed per game, as well as recording nine shutouts.
High Point sophomore forward Bri Jean-Charles and redshirt junior defender Kelsey Perrell combined for four of the five goals from the Panther attack, which was a victim of a shutout earlier in the season when the two teams met in Longwood’s complex.
The Panthers used home field to their advantage Saturday night as they held the Lancers to just four shots on goal for the clean sheet. The win brought Big South Defensive Player of the Year Alex Persiani’s shutout total to 13.
The Lancers (9-8-2, 5-3-2) finish with a .500 record or better for the tenth consecutive season and had five players record All-Big South honors.
High Point, the reigning tournament champion, will move on to play first-seeded Liberty, the reigning two-time regular season conference champion, in the Big South semifinals.
