HIGH POINT, N.C. – A great run comes to an end as the No. 3 USC Upstate Spartans took a punch to the gut during the semifinal round vs No. 2 High Point.
               The Panthers exploded for three first half goals vs Upstate. The Spartans recovered in the second half, dominating High Point in shots (12 – 3) and scoring the only goal of the final 45, but the hole from the first proved to be too much to overcome as the Panthers took the 3-1 win.
               Three Spartans had at least three shots in the match, with Pablo Diaz leading the way with four. Pablo also had Upstate's lone goal of the match, brining his season total to three. Filippo Censini earned significant run time in the semifinal, totaling more than 50 minutes for the first time since last year's finale with Presbyterian.
               While no one is happy with the way the season ended, the Spartans made the Big South Tournament for the second time in school history, with a roster that lost its three top point scorers from the previous season. The Spartans reloaded with 14 newcomers to the program, with twelve of them being freshmen.
 
Game Information
Score: No. 3 USC Upstate 1 | No. 2 High Point 3
Records: No. 3 USC Upstate (6-6-5, 4-1-2 Big South) at No. 2 High Point (9-4-5, 5-0-3 Big South)
Where: Vert Stadium, High Point N.C.
 
How It Happened
0' – 19' – Both teams took a few potshots early in the first half, with Pablo Diaz getting the first of the night. High Point outshot Upstate 3-2 during this stretch
21' – The Panthers drew first blood here, taking a 1-0 lead.
23' – 32' – High Point kept the pressure on, outshooting the Spartans 4-1 here
35' – High Point was awarded a penalty kick and capitalized, taking a 2-0 lead
40' – The Panthers tacked on another goal here, going up 3-0
44' – Upstate had the last shot of the half as Brody Williams tried to get the Spartans into the net
54' – The Spartans earned a man advantage here for the rest of the night.
54' – 89' – And they certainly took advantage, outshooting High Point 10 – 3 during that run of play
89' – Pablo Diaz denied the post-season shutout with a goal in the final minute of the night
 
Notable
-Luca Bulfon collected another 6 saves vs High Point, giving him 9 matches this season with at least 6 saves. He ended the season with four such matches in a row and finished the 2022 campaign with 81 total saves. He played every possible minute of the season with a final total of 1530.
-Kasper Jorgensen played another full match, giving him 1478 minutes of action this season.
-Pablo Diaz paced the Spartans with 4 shots, including Upstate's lone goal.
-Three Spartans played the full 90, Kasper Jorgensen, Luca Bulfon and Felipe Marty.
 
JOIN UP   
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes! Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today!    
   
   
Keep UP with the Spartans   
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics   
Twitter | @UpstateWSoccer   
Instagram | @UpstateWSoccer