Site: Buies Creek, N.C. (Eakes Athletics Complex)
Score: High Point 2, Campbell 0
Records: High Point (3-0, 2-0), Campbell (1-2, 1-1)
Next HPU Event: Saturday, March 6th, — vs UNC-Asheville (High Point, N.C.)
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The High Point University women’s soccer team picked up a big road win against Campbell 2-0 on Sunday (Feb. 28) night. Junior Lauren Mazich and Freshman Salomé Prat provided the offense in the Big South showdown. Mazich’s goal came in the 33rd minute while Prat’s goal provided the Panthers some extra space as she scored just 46 seconds into the second half to make it 2-0. Morgan Hairston and the Panther defense picked up their third clean sheet of the season. Hairston made two saves on the evening. The Panthers snapped Campbell’s eight-game winning streak at home at Eakes Athletics Complex with this win.
“We’re really excited to get this win tonight it’s a huge, huge win for our team”, Coach Brandi Fontaine said after the 2-0 road win. We knew that this game was going to be a big one on our calendar this year especially coming off last year’s result. We knew Campbell would come out fired up and I am just really proud of the team for the effort they put in tonight. It was not our type of soccer that we like to play but we are just really excited that we were able to come away with the win in a hard-fought battle.”
The Panthers had to weather an aggressive Campbell attack for the first thirty minutes of the contest. The Fighting Camels spent a lot of the early going with the ball and got some quality opportunities. Shaylyn Owen, Alex Deperno, London Lewis, and senior Mackenzie Mullins were able to hold strong defensively as they eliminated and neutralized chances for Campbell. One of the best looks of the night for Campbell came in the 19th minute as the Camels fired a shot on target that rattled off of the post, keeping the game locked at 0. Carsyn Gold set up for a free kick in the 33rd minute of the game. Gold launched the ball into the box and it was initially hit away by Campbell’s keeper, Magdalena Schwarz connected with the ball as it bounced around the box and sent it up into the air off of the leg of a Campbell defender. As the ball descended Mazich tracked it down and headed it in over the outstretched hands of Campbell’s keeper putting the Purple & White up 1-0. High Point completely shifted the momentum of the conference contest. The Panthers took the 1-0 lead into the break.
High Point wasted no time in finding that second goal of the night as the freshman Prat took full advantage of a transition opportunity for HPU as the Panthers won back the ball after applying pressure. Chloe Le Franc found an open Prat who took a few steps towards the goal and then fired a rocket shot and the no doubt strike was successful as the freshman put the Panthers up 2-0 Just 46 seconds into the half.
With the win, the Panthers improve to 3-0 on the season and 2-0 in Big South. It’s High Point’s first 3-0-0 start in the history of the program.
UP NEXT: The Big South slate continues for HPU as The Panthers host the Bulldogs of UNC-Asheville this Saturday on March 6th in Vert Stadium.