'Cats Drop Heartbreaker to High Point, 3-2

Saturday, September 13

Davidson, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

1-4-0

High Point

2-2-1

Team	1	2	Final F
High Point	1	2	3
Davidson	0	2	2

9/13/2008 9:14:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: Matt Harris - Assistant SID

DAVIDSON, N.C. - After scoring a pair of unanswered goals to take a late second-half lead, the Davidson men's soccer team was unable to hold on, allowing two goals in the last three minutes of the match to fall to the High Point Panthers, 3-2, Saturday night at Alumni Stadium.

After High Point went into halftime with a 1-0 lead, the Wildcats got on the board at the 61:10 mark when sophomore Alex Caskey gathered up a ball that was being bounced around a group of players in front of the goal, putting it into the bottom right corner of the net for the equalizer. It was Caskey's first score of the year.

Six minutes later, Davidson (1-4) scored the go-ahead goal on junior Clinton Smith's picture-perfect header off a cross into the box by Caskey, with Smith diving through High Point (2-2-1) defenders to meet the pass and direct it into the near corner, just out of the Panther goalkeeper's reach. Caskey was creditied with the assist on Smith's first goal of the season.

The two teams battled it out for the next 20 minutes, with Davidson trying to turn away the High Point rally attempts, none of which could generate any real scoring opportunities. The two teams were seemingly destined for overtime when High Point broke through on a misplayed ball in front of the Davidson goal that was picked up by Deon Cuffie-Joseph and scored from 12 yards out to tie the match at two.

Almost exactly one minute later, HPU put away the game-winner off a header by Michael Earman that was assisted on a throw-in from outside the penalty box. Earman was corralled the throw and flicked the ball off his head and into the net to make to score 3-2.

“It's a tough one to lose,” said Davidson Head Coach Matt Spear. “I thought at halftime we came out and seized control of the match, and just needed one more goal to put it away. We missed a couple, and then the momentum changed. They got the tying goal, and were able to feed off of that.”

Smith led all players with three shots on the game to along with his goal. Caskey, who was able to find a way past the High Point defense on numerous occasions, took two shots, but had many more scoring opportunities on the night.

As a team, Davidson trailed 11-10 in shots, but had an 8-7 advantage in the second half, in which the offense was able to keep the pressure on the High Point defense almost constantly.

The Wildcats will have a short turnaround to their next match, as they travel up to Durham, N.C. on Tuesday to take on ACC-member Duke for the 42nd match-up all-time between the two storied programs. Spear is glad that the team will be able to get on the field in just a few days and put this match behind them.

“There's definitely an advantage of not having to wait a whole week after a match like this,” he said. “I expect us to regroup quickly, and I think our guys will look at the Duke contest as a great opportunity to play a consistently strong team.”

Kick off for Tuesday's match is scheduled for 7 p.m.