The High Point University women’s soccer team dropped a tight 1-0 decision on the road at defending Big East Champions West Virginia on Sunday afternoon in Morgantown, W.Va. Senior Andrea Ritchie (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) made four saves in the game for the Panthers.

“I thought our team defending was fantastic throughout the match," head coach Marty Beall said. "We limited them to just five shots on goal over the course of the game. They are a very dangerous team on set pieces and I was pleased with how we defended them. I thought we had good possession, but we need to work on being more dangerous in the final third of the field.”

The loss drops High Point to 2-4-1 on the season with three of the four losses coming against opponents from the ACC and Big East. West Virginia improved to 4-3-0 with the win.

Following two separate delays for lighting in the area, the Mountaineers struck for the only goal of the game in the 38th minute when Blake Miller ripped a shot into the net from 14-yards out. Erica Henderson got possession off a header from a big ball out of the back and crossed it into the box where Katie Lenz flicked it on to Miller for the shot. The goal was the second of the season for WVU’s 2010 leading scorer.

High Point pushed for an equalizer late in the game, playing much of the final 20 minutes in the attacking half of the field. The Panthers' best chance came in the final minutes when freshman Jacky Kessler (Middletown, Md./Middletown) got loose down the right flank and sent a cross into the box about 12 yards from goal but HPU couldn’t get a foot on the ball and it was cleared away from danger.

Kessler led High Point with two shots including one of two the Panthers had on net in the game. The other shot on goal came from junior Danielle Schepler (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena). Both shots tested the keeper from distance, coming from just outside the penalty area.

Despite being outshot 16-4 in the game, High Point’s defense did well to limit the Mountaineers shots on goal, holding WVU to just five shots on frame in the 90 minutes. Ritchie continued her strong play between the pipes with several great saves to deny the home squad.

High Point next travels to Burlington, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 16, to face inter-triad rival Elon. The Panthers trail in the all-time series between the two teams with a 1-11-4 record against the Phoenix. The two squads last met two seasons ago when Elon picked up a 1-0 win at Vert Stadium on a goal by Ceci Jensen. Kick-off for the game is set for 7 p.m.

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