The High Point University men’s soccer team lost in overtime to St. Bonaventure, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at Vert Stadium in the final game of the 2011 Flash Gordon Motors Invitational. Sophomore Alex Martinez (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) scored for the second-straight game for HPU’s only tally of the contest.

“This was a difficult weekend for us,” head coach Dustin Fonder. We weren’t prepared to play at the level needed to win college soccer games. We need to get back work this week and get things fixed. There is just something missing right now. Sunday games are tough to play in. We were a bit lethargic and that led to us being a step slow all day.”

St. Bonaventure won the game in just the 91st minute of play when the Bonnies gained possession of the ball in the midfield and Brad Vanino fed Emmett O’Connor with a throughball down the right flank. O’Connor beat redshirt-junior Ryan Bennett (Cary, N.C./Cary Christian) to the ball and slotted low shot to the right side of the net past a sprawling Michael Chesler (Highland, Utah/Mountain View).

The lose knocks High Point down to 1-2-1 on the season while St. Bonaventure moves back to .500 at 3-3-0.

The Panthers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in just the seventh minute of action when freshman Mamadee Nyepon (Greensboro, N.C./Walter Hines Page) beat the St. Bonaventure right back and slotted a cross into the box to an onrushing Martinez. Martinez ran onto the ball and hit it into the net with his first touch for the score. Senior Karo Okiomah (Austin, Texas/Hendrickson-Pflugerville) keyed the play with a good run at the defense and a ball through to the freshman.

HPU led for much of the first half before St. Bonaventure pulled even in the 38th minute on a goal by James Reed. Reed got behind the HPU defense and received the ball from Vanino before chipping his shot over an onrushing Chesler and into the net.

High Point pushed for the game winner throughout the second half but struggled to get a clear shot against a swarming Bonnie defense. The Panthers’ best chance of the second half came late in the game when Nyepon managed to snap a header towards goal but the ball ran just over the crossbar. In all, HPU outshot the Bonnies 15-13 in the game but only four of those 15 shots were on goal.

The Panthers next travel to Columbia, S.C., to play in the Gamecock Classic on Sept. 16 and 18. High Point will face No. 15 Kentucky on Sept. 16 at 4:30 p.m., before taking on host South Carolina on Sept. 18 at 1 p.m.