University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
10-5-3, 4-2-1
High Point
10-3-5, 6-0-1
Historic Season Comes to an End: Bulldogs Fall in Big South Championship Match in PKs
11.12.2023 | Men's Soccer
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's soccer team's historic season ended Saturday night as the Bulldogs fell to the High Point Panthers in the Big South Conference Championship match.
After finishing regulation play tied 1-1, the Bulldogs and Panthers went through double overtime with neither team securing a goal, forcing the match winner to be determined by penalty kicks. This was only the third time in Big South Championship history that a winner would be determined by penalty kicks, and High Point came out on top 4-3, earning the Big South Championship.
After suffering a 4-0 loss earlier in the season to the Panthers, the Bulldogs looked to bounce back, and even the score and things looked promising early as Sam Pitts-Eckersall opened the scoring up with his third goal of the season (17:15). He was assisted in his goal by Aysa Hamid and Conor Behan. Nearly 14 minutes later, High Point evened the score with a goal from Seth Antwi, who was assisted by Tony Pineda and Noah Holmes (31:28).
The two goals in the first half would end up being the only shots to find the back of the net for the remainder of the contest, leading up to the tie-breaker shootout. The Panthers took 20 shots in goal attempts, and the Bulldogs had 10 shots.
Brendan Herb took the first PK shot of the night, and despite a curling ball to the left of the goal, High Point goalkeeper Justin Stewart made the diving stop, helping to tip the momentum in High Point's favor. The Panther's next four shooters all made their shots, while Edvin Grolimund, Roger Sanguinetti, and Michael Wilkerson found the back of the net for Asheville. Asheville trailed 4-3 entering the final round of PKs, which brought Aidan Whitlock to the line. Whitlock's shot was deflected to the right by Stewart, and the Panthers secured the shootout victory.
Grolimund, Herb, and Whitlock were all named to the Big South's All-Tournament team for their efforts in postseason play.
The Bulldogs finished the season 10-5-3 (4-2-1 Big South), earning a trip to the Big South Conference Championship for the first time in program history.
Team Stats
Sam Pitts-Eckersall (3)
Assisted By: Aysa Hamid , Conor Behan
GOAL by AVL Pitts-Eckersall, Sam Assist by Hamid, Aysa and Behan, Conor.
17:15
Seth Antwi (3)
Assisted By: Tony Pineda , Noah Holmes
GOAL by HPU Antwi, Seth Assist by Pineda, Tony and Holmes, Noah.
31:28
