HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Presbyterian College women's soccer team gave High Point all the Panthers could handle in a Big South Conference Saturday night road match, but the Panthers took advantage of a late ejection and scored with five minutes left for the victory, 2-1.
PC moves to 3-9-3 on the year and 0-6-3 in the Big South. The Blue Hose return home for the Senior Night season finale against Winthrop on Tuesday at 7 p.m. High Point moves to 9-4-3 overall, 6-2-1 in the Big South and travels to Campbell for a Tuesday night match at 7 p.m.
A foul outside the goal box in the 76th minute led to PC goalkeeper Sydney Fontenot's (Austin, Texas) ejection when the keeper went for a loose ball and struck a High Point attacker. With PC fielding 10 players, High Point's Bailey Beattie used a failed clearing attempt to score the game-winning goal from 25 yards out in the 85th minute.
PC's Kia Mattison (Greenville, S.C.) scored her first career goal and put the Blue Hose ahead with a penalty kick in the 23rd minute. The sophomore lined up the kick and buried a shot into the bottom left corner for a 1-0 Blue Hose lead.
High Point answered in the 31st minute when Meghan Beidleman and Bri Jean-Charles assisted Paige Rombach on a cross that Rombach put away to tie the match. The goal made it a 1-1 score at halftime.
PC came inches away from pulling ahead in the second half. Sarah Yoss (Peachtree City, Ga.) tracked down a loose ball near the end line and lifted a cross into the box for Catie Smith (Greenville, S.C.), whose header grazed the top of the crossbar and out of play.
Christy Schofer (Powder Springs, Ga.), Louise McGirt (Decatur, Ga.), Hannah Gaither (Statesville, N.C.) and Peagler all tallied a shot on the evening. The Blue Hose defensive corps turned in a marathon performance, with Schofer, Gaither, Emily McCord (Asheville, N.C.), Sophie Cobb (Columbia, S.C.) and Christy Darracott (Augusta, Ga.) playing all 90 minutes.
Fontenot made four saves in the effort, two in each half.
