HPU Men’s Soccer Earns 2-0 Win Over UNC Asheville In Big South Quarterfinals

• Redshirt-sophomore Pat Shelton and freshman Irvin Ramirez both scored in High Point’s 2-0 quarterfinal win over UNC Asheville.
• The Panthers outshot Asheville, 21-5, in the game with an 8-1 edge in shots on goal.
• High Point advances to the Big South Semifinals in Greensboro, North Carolina where the team will face No. 2-seed Coastal Carolina.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s soccer team opened the 2014 Big South Men’s Soccer Championship with a 2-0 win over UNC Asheville in the quarterfinals at Vert Stadium on Tuesday night.

“I was very pleased with the team’s performance tonight,” head coach Dustin Fonder said. “We came out really energized and stuck to the game plan well. We stayed tight defensively and didn’t give them anything. Our ball movement was good but we were a bit to narrow and we need to stress using width more moving forward.”

HPU got goals from redshirt-sophomore Pat Shelton and freshman Irvin Ramirez in the win. The Panthers improved to 10-7-2 overall, making the 2014 season just the third in which the program has won double-digit games since joining Div. I.

High Point held possession in the UNC Asheville half from the opening whistle and broke through for the first goal on the night in the 32nd minute when Shelton scored with a header to put HPU in front, 1-0. Freshman Ebe Kudolo settled a half clearance by the Bulldogs on the right flank and hit a cross into the box to the near post. Shelton jumped and redirected the ball to the far side netting for his second goal of the season.

The Panthers doubled their lead six minutes into the second half on freshman Irvin Ramirez’s third goal of the season. The freshman received a corner kick from junior Austin Yearwood at the top right corner of the box and hit a shot on frame. The ball took a deflection off an Asheville defender, wrong footing the keeper as it sailed into the net t put HPU ahead, 2-0.

High Point controlled possession throughout the game and outshot the Bulldogs by a 21-5 margin in the contest. The Panthers put eight shots on goal in the contest while holding Asheville to just one shot on frame. Kudolo and senior Mamadee Nyepon each had three shots on goal on the night. HPU also finished with a 7-0 edge in corner kicks over Asheville.

Redshirt-junior Kody Palmer improved to 7-5-2 on the season with the win while Asheville’s Dan Jackson ended the season with a 5-9-1 record despite making six saves.

High Point advances on to the Big South Semifinals at Bryan Park in Greensboro, North Carolina on Friday where the team will face No. 2-seed Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. HPU and Coastal played to a 1-1 draw in Conway, South Carolina on Nov. 5. Freshman Avery Ryan scored the goal for the Panthers in the road draw.