Bulldogs Blanked By Panthers in Big South Conference Home Opener
October 01, 2009 | Men's Soccer
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb men's soccer team suffered its first home loss of the season on Wednesday night, as the Bulldogs were blanked by the High Point Panthers 5-0 in Big South Conference play.
With the home loss the Bulldogs fall to 5-2 on the season and 2-1
in conference play, while High Point improved to 5-3 overall and
1-0 in the Big South with the win.
In the first 45 minutes of play it was apparent that the Panthers
speed would cause the big defensive backfield of GWU problems all
night, as High Point seemed to get to every ball in what was a very
physical match-up between Big South Conference foes.
High Point, who outshot the Bulldogs 7-3 in the first half, scored
first in the eighth minute as Kendall Lawson fired an off-balance
left-footed shot from just inside the top of the penalty box that
found its way past GWU keeper Trent Kozman for a 1-0 High Point
lead.
The Panthers struck again in the 26th minute, as Matt Tuttle put a
cross into the goal box where fellow teammate Fejiro Okiomah got
his head on the ball and put it past Gardner-Webb's Kozman for his
third goal on the year.
Down 2-0 coming out of the halftime intermission the Bulldogs
offense was fired up, as Gardner-Webb outshot High Point 12-9 in
the final 45 minutes of play, including putting five of those on
goal.
Yet it would be the Panthers who found the back of the goal, three
times in the second half en route to its 5-0 road win.
The Bulldogs best chance to score came in the 56th minute, as
redshirt-senior Jordan Gaines leaped up to get his head on a Romeo
Kabanda corner kick, putting a header off the crossbar. The ball
then rebounded right in front of the goal where a sliding Gerard
Hefferon tried to knock the loose ball into the goal only to hit it
into the hands of High Point keeper Michael Chesler, spoiling GWU's
chance of scoring.
GWU's Kabanda had another shot clank off the left front post in the
71st minute, as the Bulldogs failed to score in the 90 minutes of
play.
Gardner-Webb had five players put at least one shot on goal led by
Hefferon's three shots on goal and Jon Ole Reinhardsen's two shots
on target.
High Point had five different players score on the night led by
Tuttle and Rojo Scott who both had one goal and one assist in the
contest.
The Panthers' keeper picked up the shutout win by corralling eight
saves over the 90 minutes of play, while GWU's Kozman suffered the
loss allowing five goals on 16 High Point shot attempts.
The Bulldogs will look to regroup and get back on track this
Saturday night, as Coach Setzer's squad will host Winthrop
University in Big South Conference action at 5 p.m. at
Greene-Harbison Field in Boiling Springs, N.C.
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| Box Score - High Point 5, Gardner-Webb 0 |
