• High Point earned its second road draw of the season with a 1-1 tie at Davidson.
• Redshirt-freshman Justin Shear found the back of the net for the Panthers.
• Redshirt-senior Kody Palmer made eight saves for HPU in goal.
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The High Point University men’s soccer team went on the road and played Davidson to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night in Davidson, N.C. Redshirt-freshman Justin Shear scored his first collegiate goal for the Panthers.
“I am extremely proud of the character shown by these guys,” head coach EJ O’Keeffe said. “This team is a family and we have been tested through this last week. To come down here and get a draw against a very talented Davidson team was not what we had planned, but it is not something to be disappointed in. Now we will prepare for another tough road test at George Mason on Saturday.”
High Point moves to 1-2-2 on the season with its second road draw of the season. Davidson is now 2-1-2 in 2015.
Shear gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead with his first goal of the season in the 11th minute as HPU came out and controlled play at the start of the game. The winger took advantage of a turnover in the Davidson penalty area and tapped the ball into the net for the early lead.
Davidson returned the favor in the 32nd minute when the Wildcat’s Valeriy Svidersky intercepted the ball in the HPU box and beat Palmer with a low shot to tie the game at 1-1.
Both teams created numerous chances throughout the game, but were unable to overcome strong performances by both sides’ keepers. Redshirt-senior Kody Palmer made eight saves for HPU while Matt Pacifici stopped seven shots for Davidson.
Palmer was called on late in the contest with two saves in short succession to maintain the tie score. Davidson earned a free kick on the top of the box in the 88th minute and Palmer made a diving stop on a low shot to the right post. He then recovered as the ball was played back into the box and made a sprawling stop at the left post.
The Panthers outshot Davidson by a 17-15 margin on the night though the Wildcats had nine shots on target compared to eight for HPU.
High Point remains on the road this weekend when the team will travel to Fairfax, Va., to take on George Mason on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. The match will be the third straight for HPU against an Atlantic 10 opponent.