UNC Asheville will kick off conference play on Saturday afternoon with a tough match at Greenwood Field against the Panthers of High Point University. The Bulldogs (4-5-1, 0-0-0) have come away victorious in three of their last four outings, including a 1-0 victory over East Tennessee State on Tuesday. High Point (5-3-0, 1-0-0) opened its conference slate on Wednesday by pounding a good Gardner-Webb team, 5-0, on its home field.
High Point demonstrated Wednesday why it was projected as a Big South title contender in this year’s preseason poll. Five different Panthers scored against the second-ranked keeper in the Big South, and High Point goalie Michael Chesler turned in his fourth shutout performance of the season during the match in Boiling Springs, NC. Gardner-Webb is not a likely candidate to be blown out at home – the Runnin’ Bulldogs were off to a 2-0 start in conference play, with shutout victories on the road against Presbyterian and Radford. The Panther offense is spearheaded by brothers Ferijo (3 goals, 1 assist) and Karo Okiomah (2 goals, 2 assists), and by senior midfielder Matt Tuttle, who leads the team with five assists on the season. Chesler has played every minute of the season in the net for High Point, and ranks fourth in the conference with a 1.38 goals against average.
The Bulldogs have progressed dramatically during the young season, and enter the match with a good deal of momentum. Two weeks ago, Asheville defeated Lipscomb and Belmont to win the Hyatt Place Select Invitational – the Bulldogs’ first tournament championship in over 20 years. After a hard-fought loss against nationally ranked Kentucky, Asheville responded with the win over ETSU on Tuesday. Lassi Hurskainen recorded his first shutout of the season in that performance, lowering his goals against average to 1.55 (fifth in the Big South). Hurskainen’s performance in goal is a big part of the reason that the Bulldogs have been so competitive this season despite sometimes struggling to convert on the offensive end. Connor Holzinger has emerged as a star, leading the team with six points (two goals and two assists) while performing equally well on defense. Jake Hagedorn, who scored the winning goal on Tuesday, and Bryan Bartels also each have two goals on the season. Bryan George, the leading returning scorer from last season, has yet to crack the score sheet but has come close on a number of occasions.
UNC Asheville played High Point to a 1-1 draw on the road last season. If the Bulldogs are able to keep the scoring down again this year, they will have a great opportunity to claim a big conference win on Saturday. The match kicks off at 2 pm, and admission is free.
Go Bulldogs!!
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