HPU women’s soccer rallies for 3-2 overtime win at William & Mary

• Sophomore Tyler Gordon scored in the ninth minute of overtime to give High Point a 3-2 win at William & Mary on Thursday.
• The Panthers scored twice in the final 10 minutes of regulation to force overtime after trailing 2-0.
• Redshirt-senior Kelsey Perrell scored the game-tying goal and had an assist on the night.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The High Point University women’s soccer team rallied from down 2-0 to pick up a 3-2 overtime win at William & Mary on Thursday night in Williamsburg, Va. Sophomore Tyler Gordon scored the game winner in the ninth minute of overtime to complete the comeback for HPU.

“This is a great win for this team,” head coach Marty Beall said. “William & Mary is a fantastic team with one of the best coaches in the country. They dictated play in the first half and while we defended well, we were unable to create enough offensively. The team responded unbelievably well in the second half and came out playing with more passion and commitment than I have ever seen from them. We need to use the momentum from this win as we prepare to enter conference play.”

Down, 2-0, with 10 minutes to go, redshirt-sophomore Meredith Dunker got the Panthers on the board with her first goal of the season to pull HPU back within one. Redshirt-senior Kelsey Perrell flicked the ball to Dunker at the far post where the forward settled it and slotted a shot into the net.

High Point continued to press looking for the equalizer and in the 83rd minute, redshirt-senior Kelsey Perrell earned a penalty kick after being taken down in the box. The forward stepped to the spot and calmly hit a shot to the right to tie the game at 2-2.

The winning goal came in the ninth minute of overtime when Gordon unleashed a shot from outside the box that took a deflection into the net to give the Panthers the improbable win.

The victory moves High Point back to .500 on the season at 4-4-1 overall while William & Mary drops to 5-3-0.

High Point’s defense was composed throughout the first half, keeping William & Mary off the board despite being outshot, 12-0. Junior Alex Hank had seven saves in the opening 45 to keep the game scoreless.

The Tribe built a two-goal lead with two scores in the second half. The first William & Mary goal was actually an own goal off junior Lindsey Elsen. The Tribe then doubled its lead in the 80th minute on a curling strike from distance by Sarah Segen.

High Point finished almost even on shots with William & Mary in the second half and overtime with nine shots compared to 10 for the Tribe. The Panthers also put six shots on goal in that time frame compared to five for William & Mary.

Sophomore Emily Lyon earned the win after entering the game at halftime. The keeper made three saves to pick up her first win of the season.

With the non-conference portion of the schedule complete, High Point will begin conference play against defending Big South champion Liberty on Saturday, Sept. 24, at Vert Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.