University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
High Point
Women's Soccer Falls in Semifinal - UNC Asheville Bulldogs Official Athletics Site
01.01.1970 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 5, 2004
CHARLESTON, S.C. - For the second-straight season, UNC Asheville's women's soccer team has seen its season end at the hands of the High Point Panthers. The fifth-seeded Panthers scored three first half goals to take a 3-1 victory over the top-seeded Bulldogs in the first Big South Conference semi-final on Friday night. High Point (11-8) advances to the championship game to face either Birmingham-Southern or Charleston Southern. The Panthers won last season's final against UNC Asheville in penalty kicks.
Asheville (11-6-2) falls to defeat for the first time this season against a conference opponent ending a 12-game unbeaten streak in conference play dating back to last season. The Bulldogs had been 9-0-3 since losing at Birmingham-Southern on Nov.1, 2003. UNCA won its first ever regular season championship this year and finishes the season 10-2-2 in its final 14 matches.
The Panthers have used an explosive scoring attack so far in the tournament scoring three goals in three minutes on Thursday against Liberty. HPU scored two goal in less than 10 minutes on Friday. Jen Evans scored the Panthers' first goal in the 14th minute. Emily Lantham added another in the 27th minute, and Wendy Williams found the back of the net in the 35th minute of an assist from Evans to make the score 3-0.
Asheville's only starting senior, Erin Trigonoplos, suffered an injury in Thursday night's quarter-final victory over Winthrop and was unable to play against High Point. "We played as well as we could under the circumstances," remarked Asheville head coach Michelle Cornish. "Erin is a key to our midfield. I think the game would have been different if we had her out there. Not having our normal back four made it very difficult."
The Bulldogs got on the board in the 48th minute as a foul allowed Emily Langill a direct kick from 25 yards. The conference Player of the Year beat HPU goal keeper Courtney Noel for her sixth goal of the season that gave UNCA hope with over 40 minutes left to play. However, that would be the only tally for the Bulldogs as Noel and UNCA keeper Michelle Mattos each stopped four shots in the match.
High Point out shot the Bulldogs 13-8 while Asheville took the only two corner kicks of the match. "We played much better in the second half," said Cornish. "We moved five players into the midfield and that gave High Point some problems. I never expected this team to lay down and they did not. We fought hard as we could. High Point was better today."
Asheville will return 10 of its starters of this season's regular season championship squad. "I am enthusiastic about next season," said Cornish. "I am proud of the way we battled adversity this season and I think we have a great chance to go even father next year."
