HIGH POINT, N.C. – Ashlyn Kearney scored the lone goal in the 78th minute of play to lead High Point (9-7-1, 6-1-1) over Campbell (9-6-1, 5-2-1), 1-0, on Wednesday evening at Vert Stadium.

"Tonight's loss is a tough one," said head coach Samar Azem. "The conference standings are so tight and the games leading up to this had put us in a great position to be in arm's length from a championship. They're a hard team to play and I have to give them credit." 

With the loss, Campbell falls to second place in the Big South standings with one match remaining in the regular season. High Point, Liberty and Longwood are currently tied for first place with records of 6-1-1.

High Point started the first half with the momentum, as the Panthers registered the first five shots of the match. Four of these shots were recorded by HPU junior Michele Micciche.

In the 18th minute of play, Siara Southerland made a long run towards the goal, but she was surrounded by four Panther defenders, who took away the ball before she could get off a shot.

HPU's best chance of the half came in the 26th minute of play. Erin Scott came off her line to make a save, but a High Point attacker managed to elude her and pass to Micciche. She fired away two shots from within the 6-yard box, but one was blocked and the other went wide of the goal.

Abby Major had another chance for the Camels, as she fired away a powerful shot from 30-yards out. High Point goalkeeper Alex Hank made a save off the bounce to keep it scoreless at the half.

Campbell was the stronger side on the attack in the second half of play, but the home team managed to put one in the back of the net to come away with the victory.

"Once we adjusted to their style in the first half, I thought our girls were fantastic on second balls and controlled the game well. We generated a lot of opportunities and possession in the attacking half and I am proud of how dangerous and intentional our girls were," said Azem. 

In just the second minute of final frame, Alexa Genas received the ball off a cross from Taylor Koester and headed it towards the goal, but her shot went just high of the crossbar.

Shannon Wratchford just missed out on giving CU a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute of play. The junior attacker fired away a shot from the top of the box, but it bounced off the top crossbar and back into the field of play.

Wratchford had another two opportunities inside the box in the 73rd and 74th minutes, but both went just off frame.

High Point took a 1-0 lead in the 78th minute of play, as Kearney flicked the ball past Scott off a scramble.

Genas had a solid chance for an equalizer in the 84th minute, as she headed the ball on goal off a pass by Koester. Hank came up with a big save to keep the Camels off the scoreboard.

Campbell registered 12 shots over the course of the match to High Point's eight. Both squads had four shots on frame, while the Camels held a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks. Scott corralled three saves on the game and Hank had four.

"I think this is a good moment for our young team. Our girls put a lot into this game, all 24 of them. Now we have to learn how to finish big games," said Azem. 

Up next, the Camels will close out the 2017 regular season against Winthrop on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C. For the latest information on Campbell women's soccer, make sure to follow @GoCamelsWSOC on Twitter.