Three second-half goals propelled the High Point University women’s soccer team to a 4-1 win over Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon in Vert Stadium. Four different HPU players scored in the team’s biggest win of the season.

“I thought we really played fantastic today,” head coach Marty Beall said. “Our possession in the first half was great but the second half was just outstanding. I challenged the team to have a better second half than first half and they responded beautifully. We are off to a 2-0-0 start in conference play and we are very excited about it.”

The win was High Point’s second straight and improved the Panthers’ record to 4-7-1 overall and 2-0-0 in the Big South. Coastal continues in its search for its first win of the season as the Chanticleers record falls to 0-10-1 overall and 0-2-0 in the Big South.

High Point controlled possession from the opening kick but it was CCU that scored the first goal against the run of play with a tally off a free kick. The Chanticleers drew the free kick on the left flank and Alyssa Clark hit a cross to the far post where Kacey Kelley finished her run with a tap in to put Coastal up, 1-0.

The score held until the 36th minute when sophomore Kelli Joline (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) drew a foul in the box and buried the resulting free kick to tie the game at 1-1. Joline was brought down in the center of the box on a cross to draw HPU’s first penalty kick of the season. The forward stepped to the spot and calmly placed the ball just inside the right post for her team-best fourth goal of the season.

After the halftime break High Point continued to press forward and in the 59th minute took the lead on a free kick score by sophomore Brooke Lisson (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Wando). Senior Katie Taber (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) drew the foul just outside the top right corner of the box. Lisson took the kick and hit a high lofted shot on frame. The CCU keeper managed to tip the ball but was unable to keep it out of the net. The goal was Lisson’s second in as many games.

Just four minutes later HPU doubled its lead when Taber headed home a cross from Joline to bring the score to 3-1. Sophomore Becca Hemby (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson) freed Joline down the right flank and the forward took one touch before lofting a cross into the box. Taber made a run down the center of the box unmarked and buried the headerwith a flick to the far post for her first score of the season.

The Panthers scored their final goal of the game in the 88th minute when sophomore Cary Ann Parrish (Norwalk, Calif./Valley Christian) slotted a ball past the Coastal keeper for her first goal of the season. Freshman Alise LeCompte (Crofton, Md./Arundel) found Parrish with a free kick from just inside the half line. The sophomore found space between two CCU defenders and hit a low kick just inside the left post to make the score 4-1.

High Point finished the game with a 15-7 edge in shots including eight shots on frame. The Panthers’ defense was again very composed and limited CCU to only three shots on goal. Senior Andrea Ritchie (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) made two saves to record her second-straight win.

High Point hits the road next week to face Winthrop on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. The Panthers faced the Eagles twice last season, tying them, 1-1, in Vert Stadium and pulling out a 1-0 win in the Big South Semifinals. Margaret Fanning scored a late equalizer for HPU during the regular season while Joline scored the game winner in the Big South tournament.

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