HIGH POINT, N.C. – In one of the most stunning displays of a match completely turning on its head in a matter of moments, the Presbyterian College women's soccer team surprised High Point on Saturday night in the penultimate contest of the 2022 campaign, erasing a 1-0 deficit in only 171 seconds on consecutive goals by Reyna Coston and Kori Lawrence down the closing stretch for a 2-1 triumph.

Only able to muster four shots over the entire contest as the Big South matchup veered into crunch time – having surrendered HPU's only goal merely five minutes into the bout – the Blue Hose erupted with back-to-back scores before the Panthers knew what hit them, earning their first conference W of the fall over a team that came into the weekend playing with more momentum than perhaps any other school in the 10-team league.

Amidst all the late-game commotion, Lawrence continued her surge up the PC record books with her 14^th career score that served as the game-winner in the 75^th minute, tying Morgan Hutchison (2017-20) for the third-most goals in Presbyterian's Division-I history dating back 15 years. By assisting Coston's earlier goal only seconds prior, Lawrence brought her career point total to 35, which matches the mark set by Tori Lopez (2010-13) for the second-most in program history since joining the D-I class.
 
FINAL SCORE: Presbyterian, 2 – High Point, 1
RECORDS: Presbyterian (1-12-3, 1-6-1 Big South) – High Point (5-9-3, 4-3-1 Big South)
LOCATION: Vert Stadium (High Point, N.C.)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Silencing a High Point squad that was on an unprecedented offensive roll going into the match, PC's early-game blunder would be the only slip-up for the Blue Hose defense and starting goalkeeper Kelly Hall, denying the Panthers' final eight looks at the net over the last 85 minutes.

A team still in contention to make the cut for the four-team Big South Tournament in early November, HPU boasted a 15-6 difference on the scoreboard over their previous six encounters before taking on head coach Brian Purcell's club, including some eye-opening results such as a 5-0 blowout over UNC Asheville, a 4-0 dissection of offensive juggernaut Gardner-Webb, and in their last appearance prior to Saturday, another shutout against Winthrop in Rock Hill by a 3-0 margin.

If the game's first 70 minutes were to be believed, it seemed as if the Panthers were well on their way to making it three clean sheets in a row, limiting Presbyterian to only four shots while keeping tabs on the one-goal advantage. That's when Lawrence pinballed her way to Coston at the 71:25 stamp to even things up at one in the blink of an eye.

Representing the fifth career goal for the junior and her first of '22 that couldn't have come at a better time, the swiftness with which the visitors tied the match was only bested by how quickly they turned the deadlock into their first lead of the night, a lead they would keep until the final horn.

With the ball placed right at midfield due to a whistle against High Point, defender Kali Zmistowski delivered a high-arching kick that parachuted right into the PC attack zone. Lawrence proceeded to finished off the sequence at the 74:16 mark with her third goal and seventh point of the semester, the fourth game-winning boot of the graduate's outstanding career with the blue and white.

Coming seemingly out of nowhere after a first half that was largely underwhelming, Presbyterian's immediate equalizer and tiebreaker polished off a remarkable upset victory for the Blue Hose, halting HPU dead in its tracks with a double-act of goals that more resembled a magician's trick due to the baffling circumstances that PC pulled off to seize an improbable W.

COACH PURCELL'S THOUGHTS:
"I am beyond happy for our players to gut out this win over a talented High Point team. We've recently been preaching to them about being ready when something bounces our way so that we can make the most of those opportunities. I think that's exactly what happened tonight, and it's a huge credit to our players that they responded to that message and overcome a deficit to turn that into a win. I couldn't be prouder of this team for sticking together and always staying positive through some difficult times."

UP NEXT:
Ending their 2022 road schedule on an ultimate high that will grab headlines around the Big South, coach Purcell's team prepares for the season's sendoff next Wednesday, doing so from the friendly backdrop of Martin Stadium in Clinton. The Blue Hose will strut into that matchup against UNC Asheville, which kicks off at 7:00 p.m.

Currently at 2-5-1 in league affairs, the Bulldogs gave Campbell a busy night in Asheville on Saturday with a back-and-forth battle that nearly ended at 2-2 had it not been for a game-winning kick from the Fighting Camels in the 76^th minute. The one-score result kept the Bulldogs with just a single win over their last six tries.

Presbyterian and UNC Asheville have traded victories every season since 2017, with the Blue Hose taking the losing end of a 3-2 barnburner in Asheville one year back. First touch in Clinton will be broadcasted live via ESPN+.