HPU Men’s Soccer Opens Big South Play With A 3-0 Win Over UNC Asheville

• Senior Mamadee Nyepon, sophomore Renato Punyed and freshman Avery Ryan scored for HPU in the Panthers 3-0 win over UNC Asheville.
• Nyepon tied the HPU Div. I career points record with his goal, the senior’s team-best sixth of the season.
• The shutout was the first of the season for HPU and the first for freshman starter David Price.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s soccer team opened Big South conference play with a 3-0 win over UNC Asheville on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 2,049 fans at Vert Stadium. Senior Mamadee Nyepon scored his team-best sixth goal of the season in the victory.

“I am really pleased to see us have a good performance and get three points tonight,” head coach Dustin Fonder said. “I would have taken just the three points but I was pleased to see the things we have worked on in practices in the game tonight. We need to build on this. This is just the start of conference play and though it’s good to get three points, we have to keep getting better.”

High Point controlled possession from the opening whistle and found pay dirt in the 19th minute when the team took a 1-0 lead on a goal by sophomore Renato Punyed. Freshman Irvin Ramirez found space on the left side and dribbled to the end line, before firing a low ball across the face of goal. Punyed crashed to the post on the far side and scored with a shot back across to the left side. The goal was the first of the season for Punyed.

Nyepon doubled the Panther lead with an impressive individual effort in the 34th minute, making the score 2-0. The forward brought the ball down on top of the 18 and dribbled through four defenders before slotting the ball just inside the right post for his sixth score of the season.

With the goal, Nyepon tied the HPU Div. I career points record of 80 also held by Chris Archer (2004-08). Nyepon previously broke the HPU Div. I career goals record with his fifth goal of the season last weekend against West Virginia.

High Point added a third goal in the 60th minute on freshman Avery Ryan’s first collegiate tally to put the Panthers ahead, 3-0. Redshirt-sophomore Pat Shelton ran onto a through ball up the right flank and cut back towards the box before hitting a cross just in front of goal. Ryan made a run inside his defender and finished right on the goal mouth for the score.

The shutout was the first of the season for the Panthers, who outshot UNC Asheville by a 17-3 margin on the night. High Point held the Bulldogs without a shot in the second half.

Freshman David Price made his first collegiate start for High Point and made one save on the way to his first win and his first shutout. Dan Jackson made three saves in a losing effort for UNC Asheville.

High Point improves to 3-3-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the Big South with the win over UNC Asheville. The Bulldogs drop to 1-4-1 overall and 0-1-0 in conference play.

The Panthers are back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 30, when the team heads down the road to take on inter-Triad rival Elon in non-conference action. Kickoff for the game is set for 7 p.m.