No. 6 Longwood Upsets No. 2 High Point, Advances To Title Match
HIGH POINT, N.C. – A first half strike from senior captain
Finnlay Wyatt and a shutout bid from fellow senior captain
Carlos Canas lifted the Longwood men's soccer team to the program's first-ever Big South Championship game Wednesday night at Vert Stadium, as the Lancers upset second-seeded High Point, 1-0.
Wyatt's goal from the top of the box in the 42nd minute and a second half defensive clinic put on by Canas and the Longwood back line helped Longwood secure its place in Sunday's Big South Championship game.
Men's soccer becomes the third Longwood team to advance to the Big South Championship game, joining the three-time Big South champion softball team and the 2013 Big South runner-up women's basketball team.
Making their second appearance in the Big South semifinals in four years and Longwood's third fall sports program to advance to the semifinals of their conference tournament this season, joining the field hockey and women's soccer program to mark the first time that's happened in the 10-year Division I era. Including the softball team's Big South Championship run and baseball's run to the conference semifinals, Longwood has placed five teams into the semifinals in the same calendar year.
Wednesday's performance saw Longwood avenge a 3-0 loss on High Point's home field just over a month ago to hold the Big South's highest scoring team scoreless. That effort included a three save performance from Canas, as he and the Longwood defense turned away 15 High Point shots faced.
Longwood's first All-Big South performer, Wyatt provided the game's only goal just prior to halftime in the 42nd minute where he gathered a High Point turnover and rifled a shot into the lower right portion of the High Point net past High Point goalkeeper Keegan Meyer.