HIGH POINT, N.C. – Junior Adam Sewell headed home a late goal in the 109th minute to give the No. 23-ranked High Point University men’s soccer team a 2-1 double-overtime win over Gardner-Webb in Big South action on Saturday night at Vert Stadium. The Panthers remain undefeated in conference play with the victory.
“Obviously we are very pleased to get a win against a Gardner-Webb team that is much better than its record shows,” head coach Dustin Fonder said. It was really a battle tonight. We needed three points from this game but it was looking for a long time like we were destined for one. I thought the boys did a really good job fighting in the second overtime and found a way to get three points in the end.”
HPU earned a corner kick in the closing minutes of extra time and freshman Austin Yearwood lined up over the ball. The Panthers pressed nine men into the box looking to pick up the game winner. Yearwood hit an outswinger to the far post when Sewell outjumped his marker and hammered a header into the ground. The ball caromed off the ground and over the leaping keeper into the goal for the win. The goal was Sewell’s second of the season.
After a scoreless first half, High Point took the first lead of the game in the 65th minute as sophomore Mamadee Nyepon set senior Shane Malcolm free in the box for his sixth goal of the season. Nyepon slid the ball through the backline to Malcolm/ The midfielder ran onto the pass 10-yards from goal and beat the keeper one-on-one with a low shot to put HPU up 1-0.
HPU appeared to get a second goal in the 71st minute when Carby got behind the defense and scored, but the midfielder was called offsides. Gardner-Webb took advantage of the confusion, playing the ball quickly out of the back, and found Craig Swaby behind the defense on the left side of the field. The Runnin’ Bulldogs played a ball into the box that both Swaby and HPU keeper Kody Palmer made a run for. The two reached the ball at roughly the same time but Palmer could not corral it as it popped out to the GWU player giving him a shot on an empty net to tie the game.
The Panthers went up a man in the 77th minute when Chris Davis was shown his second yellow card and was ejected from the game. HPU used the man advantage in extra time, outshooting Gardner-Webb 7-1. For the game High Point finished with a 27-8 shot advantage, putting 11 shots on goal in the contest. Carby finished the game with nine shots including five on frame.
With the win High Point improves to 11-1-1 overall and 4-0-1 in the Big South. The game was just the Panthers’ second of the season to go to extra time as High Point improved to 1-0-1 in games that over 90. The loss breaks a three-game winning streak for Gardner-Webb which falls to 3-9-1 overall and 2-2-1 in the Big South.
High Point returns to the road on Wednesday when the team travels to Buies Creek, N.C. to face Campbell at 7 p.m. The Camels are 8-4-1 overall and 3-3-0 in the Big South this season after picking up a 5-2 win over Winthrop on Saturday. High Point is 5-8-2 all-time against Campbell including two wins over the Camels last season. HPU picked up a 2-0 win at home during the regular season and a 3-0 win in the Big South quarterfinals.