Wednesday's MatchUP
September 21, 2022 | 7:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (2-2-3, 0-0-0 Big South) vs. High Point (1-6-2, 0-0-0 Big South)
Vert Stadium | High Point, N.C.
Live Stats: highpointpanthers.com
Watch: USC Upstate vs. High Point (W Soccer) | Watch ESPN
How They Stack Up
USC Upstate gears up for the first Big South match up of the season, as they travel to High Point, N.C. to take on the High Point University Panthers. The Spartans go into the match with an overall record of 2-2-3 and sit fifth in the Big South Conference while the Panthers sit ninth with a 1-6-2 record.
Series History
Upstate and High point have squared off five times with their earliest game dating back to 2008 when the Spartans fell 1-0 on the road. During the most recent battle in the 2021 season, the Spartans trailed the Panthers 5-2 before the game was ended early due to severe weather.
Players to Watch
Senior Alaina McKnight scored her first goal since 2019 in Upstate's last game. McKnight has been a consistent starter in the Spartan back line, having started all seven games and racked up 566 minutes of play. Three other Spartans have started all seven matches including freshman, Audrey Baer, and captains Cora Brendle and Ashley Finn.
Freshman Dara Russo sits in the Big South rankings for shots (3rd) , game winning goals (9th), and shots on goal (10th). Natasha Ferreira is also ranked for game winning goals (fifth). Brendle joins them in the ranks for goals against average (3rd), saves (4th), shutouts per game (4th, and saves per-game (6th).
Last Match
Upstate most recently traveled to Lexington, Va., where they tied VMI 1-1 on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans trailed 1-0 going into halftime but battled back and tied to game in the 56th minute as McKnight scored her first goal of the season off a corner from Sydney Thomas and with some assistance from Audrey Baer.
High Point most recently fell 3-1 to N.C. State in Raleigh, N.C. on Thursday night. The Panthers were down 2-0 at halftime before scoring one last goal in the 51st minute. HPU was able to get on the board in the 56th minute as the Wolfpack found the back of their own net in an attempt to clear a corner kick.
UP Next for the Spartans
After their first Big South game, Upstate will return to County University Soccer Stadium to take on Big South competitors, Charleston Southern on Sat., September 24th at 4:00 p.m. and against Presbyterian on Wed., September 28th at 7:00 p.m.
JOIN UP
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes! Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today!
GET INVOLVED
Want to be a ball kid for USC Upstate Soccer? Kids ages 10 and up can help the Spartans all season long by retrieving game balls on the sidelines during home men's and women's soccer matches at County-University Soccer Stadium. Click here for more details.
Keep UP with the Spartans
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics
Twitter | @UpstateWSoccer
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