HPU men's soccer beats West Virginia in NCAA Tournament

HIGH POINT – High Point University added another chapter to its storybook season.

The Panthers scored the first three goals of the match then held on to beat West Virginia 3-2 on Sunday in front of a record crowd of 4,913 fans at Vert Stadium in the second round of the NCAA men's soccer tournament.

"It's a great moment for the guys and for the program," High Point coach Zach Haines said. "We've always talked about having that as a goal of this program – can we advance, can we make a run?

"It's extremely difficult to get past the first and second rounds, especially in our region. Tonight, we did everything that you could possibly imagine to make sure that we were going to come out with the win and advance to the next round."

Noah Behrmann, Moe Guettel and Chris Niblock each scored for the Panthers (14-1-4), who hosted an NCAA Tournament game for just the second time ever and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.

Daniel Lugo added an assist as High Point, which had a first-round bye as the No. 10 overall seed, will next visit seventh-seeded Georgetown in the third round Saturday at 5 p.m. The Panthers beat the Hoyas 2-1 in August.

High Point, which won the Big South Conference, opened strong with a pair of first-half goals – first on a shot from the right side by Behrmann in the 32nd minute, then on a long free kick by Guettel in the 37th minute.

Berhmann's shot from a sharp angle near the right end line eluded the goalkeeper and gave the Panthers the early advantage.

"I haven't scored much in my college career, so it was awesome," said Behrmann, a redshirt sophomore midfielder/defender. "Koven Johnson had a crazy ball to me, which was awesome.

"And not even the goal itself, just the feeling of going to the corner and celebrating with my teammates around me. It's just next level and something very few people get to experience."

Guettel followed five minutes later with a free kick from distance. The hard shot deflected off the underside of the crossbar and landed in the goal before spinning out. A review of the play upheld the call of a goal.

"I watched him walk up with the ball and take (Jefferson Amaya) off of it," Haines said. "So, I was like, 'Oh, boy, he's about to have a go here.' And we know we can hit them, but it's not something that you train every day. You're not exactly going out and hitting 40-yard free kicks on the regular.

"So it's just one of those big-time moments that we'll remember for a long time – that a guy was willing to step up and make a big-time play. And it's one of the most insane free kicks I've ever seen. And to do that on that stage – I love it for Mo because he's dealt with a lot of injuries this year."

Niblock added a score in the 53rd minute, firing home a low shot following a cross and blocked shot. Then High Point held on for dear life as the Mountaineers (13-4-3), who tied the Panthers in September, rallied in the final minutes.

West Virginia scored in the 55th minute and again in the 87th minute to have a chance in the dying moments. But High Point, keyed by two saves from Josh Caron in goal, fended off the last-ditch flurry to advance.

The Mountaineers, who were second in the Big 12, finished with a 13-12 edge in shots for the match, but the Panthers led 9-3 in the first half and 6-5 on goal.

"This is why I came to this program," said Haines, who starred as a player at Southwest Guilford. "This is why I stayed patient as an assistant and associate head coach for so long at some really great programs that I enjoyed working. I was hoping for an opportunity like this that just had so much potential.

"The biggest bonus of all is that it's my hometown. It's my community. So there's always extra motivation on my end. It's not just about winning games or about producing professional players or doing things only soccer-related. All of that is part of our approach and mission.

"But to bring these types of occasions to High Point and to High Point University, it makes your job as special as it can be. Going to the Sweet 16 is amazing, but doing it at home is pretty surreal."