HPU Women’s Soccer Downs Winthrop With 2-0 Win

• High Point beat Winthrop, 2-0, on Saturday night at Vert Stadium.
• The Panthers picked up their second-straight shutout and their seventh in 12 games this season.
• Sophomore Bri Jean-Charles had a goal and an assist in the victory.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women’s soccer team picked up its second Big South win of 2015 with a 2-0 victory over Winthrop on Saturday night at Vert Stadium. Sophomore Bri Jean-Charles had a goal and an assist in the win.

“The weather elements weren’t the most fun to play in tonight but the team did a fantastic job sticking to our game plan,” head coach Marty Beall said. “We worked incredibly hard and focused first and foremost on team defending. Winthrop gets a lot of players behind the ball and makes it difficult so I am proud of how hard we competed against them to walk away with the win.”

High Point moves to 7-2-3 overall and 2-1-0 in the Big South with the win. It is the fastest in the Div. I era that HPU has won seven games. Winthrop drops to 4-5-2 overall and 1-2-1 in conference play.

The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute on a goal by Jean-Charles off a corner kick. The forward drew the corner kick with a blocked shot then scored with a tap in at the far post off a delivery from sophomore Taylor Romano.

Just four minutes later, High Point doubled its lead on a goal by redshirt-junior Kelsey Perrell. The Panthers broke on a counter attack and Jean-Charles played Perrell behind the defense. She dribbled to within 10 yards before unleashing a hard shot past the keeper.

High Point controlled possession throughout the contest, limiting Winthrop to just three shots on the night. HPU ended the contest with a 15-3 edge in shots and a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal. Sophomore Alex Persiani needed just one save to record her fifth shutout of the season.

The Panthers continue their current home stand with a midweek contest against Coastal Carolina on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Vert Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. High Point split two meetings with CCU last season, falling by a score of 1-0 in double overtime on the road during the regular season before earning a 2-1 double-overtime win in the Big South Semifinals at Bryan Park.