Score: VCU 1, No. 14 High Point 1
Location: High Point, N.C. / Vert Stadium
Records: VCU 0-2-2, High Point 2-1-1
THE SHORT STORY
VCU men's soccer battled to the final whistle with No. 14 High Point on Wednesday, netting an 89
th-minute equalizer off the head of
Kimarly Scott to draw with the nationally ranked opponent on their home field. The first-half defensive stalemate morphed into a late attacking scramble as the teams buried a goal apiece in the final six minutes.
PITCH-SIDE
- Scott scored his first goal as a Ram
- Mohammed Ibrahim recorded his first point of the season on the assist
- VCU held its opponent to one or fewer shots on goal for the 24th time under Head Coach Dave Giffard, and just the third time against a non-conference opponent since 2010
- Both teams were even with one shot on goal apiece and zero saves
- High Point outshot the Rams 9-6, with VCU holding the advantage in corner kicks, 5-4
HOW IT HAPPENED
- VCU outshot High Point in the first half, making a pair of shot attempts as Parker Simkins' tap-in was deflected wide and David Leavey's strike from centerfield missed just high
- In the 43rd minute, the Panthers made their first shot attempt, but were met with a block from the Rams' back line to hold the 0-0 draw into halftime
- The first on-target strike belonged to High Point to snap the stalemate in the 85th minute as Prosper Adagani redirected a cross into the bottom right corner from the center of the six-yard box
- Ibrahim beat out a pair of Panther defenders at the touchline, making a perfect cross for Scott's header finish in the box to equalize the match, 1-1, in the 89th minute
SCORING MOMENTS
85' | HPU 1, VCU 0 – Prosper Adagani; Aidan Morrison, Noah Behrmann
89' | VCU 1, HPU 1 –
Kimarly Scott;
Mohammed Ibrahim
QUOTABLE
"I thought tonight was more steps forward, and we pushed minutes for some guys who have had very limited minutes so far. At the end of the game, those guys started to wear down, and we weren't able to sustain some of the good things we did in the first half, but give the guys credit—we rallied from down a goal, found a few good entries into the box and got a point on the road in another step forward in a long season," Giffard said.
UP NEXT
VCU will conclude its season-opening road trip with at No. 15 Marshall on Sunday, Sept. 6, with the Rams' second top-15 opponent of the week. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
