Thursday's MatchUP  

Big South Women's Soccer Tournament Semifinals 
November 2, 2023 | 7:00 p.m. ET   

No. 2 seed USC Upstate (10-3-4, 6-2-0 Big South) vs. No. 3 seed High Point (6-4-7, 4-1-3 Big South)  
SportsPlex at Matthews | Matthews, N.C.  
 

How They Stack Up  

Record: No. 2 Seed USC Upstate (10-3-4, 6-2-0 Big South) vs. No 3 Seed High Point (6-4-7, 4-1-3 Big South) 

Series: USC Upstate trails the overall series 2-5-0

Last Five Matches: Oct. 4, 2023 (UPST 1; HPU 0), Sept. 21, 2022 (UPST 1; HPU 0), Oct. 6, 2021 (UPST 2; HPU 5 [86:01]), Sept. 28, 2019 (UPST 0; HPU 3), Sept. 22, 2018 (UPST 1; HPU 4) 

Players to Watch  

Dara Russo continues to lead the Spartans on offense with 13 goals, three assists, 29 points, 62 shots, 41 shots on goal, and two game winning goals. Russo also leads the Big South Conference for shots, shots on goal, goals, and points. Nya Baccelli, Margret Edda Bjarnadottir, Paige Armstrong, Ashley Finn, Hannah Blodget, and Audrey Baer have all tallied multiple goals this season. Armstrong leads the Spartans in assists with eight, while Bjarnadottir is just behind her with five. Cora Brendle has been Upstate's primary goalkeeper, starting 17 games, and sits with 51 saves, a 1.02 goals against average, and five shutouts on the season. 

High Point is led on offense by Fain Buete who has four goals, two assists, 27 shots, and 12 shots on goal, and Tessa Carlin who has five goals, 31 shots, and 18 shots on goal. Both Buete and Caslin lead the Panthers with 10 points. Lindsey DeHaven has also been dangerous on the attack for the Panthers; DeHaven sits with one goal, four assists, six points, 47 shots, and 14 shots on goal. Ellyn Casto has been High Points primary goalkeeper with 16 game starts. Casto has a 1.09 goals against average, 70 saves, five shutouts, and a .795 save percentage in her combined 1485 minutes of play. 

Last Match    

Upstate most recently fell 2-1 late in the second half to Charleston Southern to finish off the regular season. Dara Russo had an exceptional performance as she recorded five shots on goal and her 13th goal of the season to give Upstate a 1-0 lead in the first half. Paige Armstrong also proved to be dangerous on offense with two shots, one on goal, and one assist. Cora Brendle made her 17th start in the goal for Upstate and tallied four saves on 12 shots faced.  

High Point finished the regular season with a 2-0 win over UNC Asheville on Oct. 25th. Skylar Prillaman scored the Panthers' first goal in the 11th minute of play. Meg Roden gave High Point an insurance goal in the 23rd minute as well. Despite the Panthers being outshot 9-6, the Panthers were able to find the target with five shots compared to the Bulldogs' four. Ellyn Casto was able to record four saves and achieve her fifth shutout after 90 minutes in the net.  

 
 
UP Next for the Spartans   
The winner of No. 2 USC Upstate vs. No. 3 High Point will advance to play the winner of No. 1 Radford vs. No. 4 Charleston Southern. Following a win on Wednesday night, the Spartans would advance to the finals of the Big South Women's Soccer Tournament on Sunday, November 5th at 1:00 p.m.  
Big South Conference Women's Soccer Tournament information is available here. 
 
Connect with the Spartans   
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics   
Twitter | @UpstateWSoccer   
Instagram | @UpstateWSoccer   
Youtube.com/UpstateSpartans