Denny Goal Secures 1-0 HPU WSOC Panther Win Over JMU

• High Point University women’s soccer beat JMU 1-0 this Sunday, on a last-minute goal from Alex Denny
• Both sides took seven shots on the afternoon with the Panthers hitting the target three times
• HPU delivered its third shutout of the season, and its first on the road, against the Dukes

HARRISONBURG, VA. – High Point University women’s soccer grabbed its second win of the 2018 season this Sunday at James Madison, as junior forward Alex Denny recorded a last minute goal in the Panthers’ 1-0 victory.

HPU jumped on the attack in the early stages of the afternoon match, taking four attempts at net in the opening 20 minutes. Freshman midfielder Shaylyn Owen had her team’s greatest scoring opportunity of the first half, hitting a volley on a deflected corner that was just swatted away by the JMU keeper.

Starting Panther goalkeeper Emily Lyon made three stops in the opening half to hold the Dukes scoreless, however her counterpart at the other end of the field was equally up to task as the two sides entered the break even at 0-0.

The Purple & White controlled possession from start to finish of the second half, with the withstanding pressure drawing four corners and causing six JMU fouls in the latter 45 minutes. The Panther defense limited the Dukes’ chances to just two shots on goal in the second half, with Brie Deel and Allie Reagan each playing a full 90 on the back line.

“[The defense is] essentially the start to our attack, so if we can bait other teams in defensively then the idea is to be able to counter attack a little bit more in the offensive end.” said Head Coach Brandi Fontaint. “Today we did a phenomenal job and the part we were trying to execute was the pressing side of things. That’s something that hasn’t been happening in the previous games. We went over it yesterday in training and today we applied it better than we have all year.”

With both sides still scoreless, and just a hand full of minutes remaining on the clock, the Panthers seemed destined for their second overtime match of the year, before Denny found her opportunity in the 88th.

As she had done throughout the match, freshman forward Skyler Prillaman led an HPU counter attack in the waning minutes, before delivering a ball across the face of the JMU net. Awaiting her teammate’s delivery, Denny had an easy put away for her first goal of the year, essentially sealing the decision for the visiting Panthers.

With just two minutes remaining, Coach Fontaine’s side was able to run out the final ticks of the clock, securing their third shutout of the 2018 season to move to 2-5-1 overall.

>> The Panthers have secured a shutout in seven of their last 13 matches, going back to the 2017 season
>> Denny’s tally was the fifth of her career, hitting the back of the net on just her second shot of the year
>> In addition to Lyon’s three saves in the first half, fellow keeper Talia Klimes added a pair of stops in the final 45 minutes
>> Prillaman’s helper is her first of the season, giving the freshman a team-high in points (5)

COMING UP NEXT
• The Panthers open up the Big South conference season, hosting Longwood next Saturday at 7 p.m.
• HPU is 12-3-3 against the Lancers all-time, beating the side once during the 2017 regular season, and again in the Big South Tournament final