The High Point University men’s soccer team opened the 2011 Big South season with a 2-1 loss to Liberty on Tuesday night at Vert Stadium. Senior Michael Chesler (Highland, Utah/Mountain View) made four saves in the game for HPU.

“Overall we are disappointed because this is a conference game and we want to win the conference so we need to get results on nights like this,” head coach Dustin Fonder said. “I thought we were a little bit flat in the first half and gave up a soft goal. In the second half we came out and played High Point soccer. That is how we want to play through the rest of this season.”

High Point falls to 2-5-1 overall and 0-1-0 in the Big South with the loss to the Flames who have now won six straight to improve to 6-1-0 overall and 1-0-0 in the Big South.

Liberty jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute of play on a goal by Alex Verville off a cross from the left flank. Timothy Bullock found Uriah Bentick on the flank and the defender sent a blind cross into the box where it fell to Verville’s feet. The forward took one touch around an HPU defender before slotting the ball past Chesler with a low shot to the right post.

LU almost doubled its lead in the 39th minute when the Flames sent a shot off the post on a set piece from the corner and the rebound shot was saved from point-blank range by Chesler allowing the game to go to halftime at 1-0.

HPU got on the board early in the second half when a ball over the top forced an own goal by Liberty’s Greg White in the 54th minute. Sophomore Adam Sewell (Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England/East Norfolk Sixth Form College) headed a ball forward for senior Karo Okiomah (Austin, Texas/Hendrickson-Pflugerville) who pressured White. The defender leaped and headed the ball towards LU goalie Josh Pacella who was already rushing forward. The ball went past Pacella and rolled just over the end line to knot the game at 1-1.

The game swung back and forth with both teams earning several quality chances but it was the Flames that retook the lead in the 76th minute on a goal off a rebound by Sam Duininck. LU’s Travis Joseph took a hard shot right at Chesler from 20-yards out which the HPU keeper knocked away, but the rebound fell right to an onrushing Duininck who tapped it in.

Just two minutes later HPU had an opportunity to tie the game for a second time when Okiomah earned a penalty kick after being taken down on a run into the box. The senior stepped to the spot but his shot ran just outside the right post as the score remained 2-1.

Junior Shawn Sloan (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) had another chance to tie the game late but his shot in the 87th minute from 22-yards out was deflected just wide of the frame and a shot by junior Fejiro Okiomah (Austin, Texas/Hendrickson-Pflugerville) off the resulting corner kick sailed just over the crossbar.

Liberty finished the game with a slight 14-12 edge in shots while both teams finished with seven corner kicks. The game was physical affair with 32 total fouls called and six yellow cards shown.

Liberty next travels to Conway, S.C., to face Coastal Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 2.

High Point will play its third-straight game in Vert Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 1, when the Panthers host Winthrop in their second Big South game of the season. The match is part of an HPU soccer doubleheader during family weekend and will kick off after the conclusion of the women’s game against Coastal Carolina which begins at 5 p.m.

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