HPU women’s soccer falls at No. 6 Duke, 4-1

• High Point lost on the road at No. 6 Duke by a score of 4-1 on Sunday.
• Junior Bri Jean-Charles scored the lone goal of the evening for the Panthers.
• HPU returns to the road on Thursday, Sept. 15 at William & Mary.

DURHAM, N.C. – The High Point University women’s soccer team dropped a 4-1 decision on the road at No. 6 Duke on Sunday night in Durham, N.C. Junior Bri Jean-Charles scored her second goal of the season for the Panthers in the loss.

“I am very proud of how hard our team competed against one of the best teams in the country,” head coach Marty Beall said. “Duke has some phenomenal players and a fantastic coaching staff so for our kids to compete the way they did tonight is a great sign. One of the things we must continue to work on is possessing the ball under pressure. We tried to do that tonight and had some good moments, but also some learning moments. Now we need to get our bodies ready for another tough test at William & Mary. ”

High Point falls to 3-4-1 overall with all four losses coming on the road at Power 5 opponents. Duke improves to 5-2-0 with the win.

The game remained locked in a scoreless stalemate until the 28th minute when the Blue Devils got on the board with a goal by Toni Payne. The Duke midfielder slotted a shot in past HPU keeper Alex Hank after being played in by EJ Proctor.

The Duke lead lasted just five minutes the Panthers equalized on the goal by Jean-Charles. HPU earned a corner kick and freshman Allie Reagan delivered a ball to the near post where Jean-Charles redirected it to the far side with a header.

Just three minutes later, Duke reclaimed the lead on a goal by Kayla McCoy, who finished a passing sequence in the box with a shot from seven yards chipped over Hank for the goal.

Duke scored twice in the second half to extend its lead to 4-1. Taylor Racioppi, scored the first goal in the 52nd minute when she was played in down the left side and dribbled in before hitting a shot into the bottom left corner. The second goal came in the 78th minute when Christina Gibbons finished just in front of goal off a cross from Payne.

The Panthers defended furiously throughout the game and were outshot by a 27-5 margin. HPU put four of its five shots on frame, forcing three saves. Hank stopped five of the nine shots she faced in goal, dropping to 3-4-1 on the season.

High Point concludes its six-game road trip on Thursday, Sept. 15, when the team heads to Williamsburg, Va., to take on a William & Mary team that won 14 games in 2015. Kickoff for the game is set for 7 p.m.