Bulldogs Felled by Late Goal in Back-and-Forth Match Against High Point

ASHEVILLE – Three Bulldogs scored their first goals of the season, but it would not be enough as UNC Asheville's men's soccer team fell to High Point, 4-3, Wednesday night at Greenwood Field.

High Point entered the match having only allowed six goals in eight matches all season, and had only surrendered two goals in one match all year. The Bulldogs (2-7-1) scored three goals for the first time since scoring four against Liberty in 2016.

The two teams combined for 42 shots, with the Bulldogs recording 20 shots and 11 shots on goal – the second time they have recorded at least 20 shots in a match this season.

Things started well enough for the Bulldogs, as freshman Andrew Rossetti controlled a free kick from Kyle Adams from about midfield and fired one past the Panthers' keeper in the third minute to take an early lead and give Rossetti his first career goal.

Sophomore Izaiah Vignali – last season's top scorer – recorded his first goal of the year 10 minutes later to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead less than 15 minutes into the match.

But the Panthers (5-4) would claw back into it. A goal by Jordan Lonchar in the 22nd minute narrowed the lead to one, and the score stood at 2-1 going into the break.

And if it hadn't been crazy enough, it got more wild in the second half.

Less than a minute into the second frame, High Point scored the equalizer, and it remain knotted up for almost another 30 minutes of match time, though both teams had plenty of chances to score.

Asheville's leading goal-scorer, Tyson Hichman, had a chance in the 57th minute that was deflected out of bounds. On the ensuing corner, freshman Kaleem Shabout controlled the loose ball and put a shot on frame that had to be cleared by a Panther defender.

Four minutes later, Miles Peay took a shot from distance off a short corner that the keeper got his hands on but couldn't control. Hichman was able to get a shot off the loose ball, but it went wide of the net.

Freshman goalkeeper Jarrett Payne, as he's been wont to do all season, recorded some fantastic saves as the Panthers gained some momentum in the attack, first coming up with a sliding save in the 62nd minute, and six minutes later, aggressively coming off his line to save a breakaway attempt.

After a deflection on a corner kick by the Bulldogs, senior captain Adams put the Bulldogs ahead, 3-2, in the 73rd minute with a low screamer that whizzed by the keeper, for his second-career goal and first since 2017.

But the Panthers responded exactly two minutes later to tie things up. And with less than four minutes remaining in the match, scored the go-ahead goal.

The Bulldogs kept fighting, as Taylor Durall had a strong shot attempt in the box blocked in the final minutes. Shabout gathered the rebound and put shot on frame, but the Panthers' keeper came up with the save.

The Bulldogs will return to action in Big South Conference play, Saturday, when they travel to Winthrop to take on the Eagles at 5 p.m.

MENNELL'S MUSINGS
"It was a tough one to lose. High Point's a good team. They went to the NCAA Tournament last year for a reason, and they returned a lot of players and they've been the class of our conference for a while. I was really proud of the way we approached the game. We went up 2-0, and then I thought we let our guard down a little bit. Then I thought we showed great resilience to make it 3-2. Then for us to get tied again and give up that last goal, that's soccer sometimes. I don't have fault with the way the guys played or their effort: they were fantastic in all those areas. This is a cruel sport sometimes. Sometimes you pour everything into a game and come out second best. We'll evaluate the tape, the sun will come out tomorrow and we're on to Winthrop." – Head Coach Mathes Mennell

Bulldogs Felled by Late Goal in Back-and-Forth Match Against High Point

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Team Stats

Kyle Adams

Izaiah Vignali

Andrew Rossetti

Tyson Hichman

Players Mentioned

Kyle Adams

Taylor Durall

Tyson Hichman

Jarrett Payne

Miles Peay

Andrew Rossetti

Kaleem Shabout

Izaiah Vignali

Players Mentioned

Kyle Adams

Taylor Durall

Tyson Hichman

Jarrett Payne

Miles Peay

Andrew Rossetti

Kaleem Shabout

Izaiah Vignali

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics