It was a great night for the Bucs, who defeated the High Point Panthers in High Point, North Carolina, by scoring their only two goals during the first half of the game. This has the Bucs at 3-3 overall this season.
Both goals were scored by freshman Hauk Andreas Fossen (Moely, Norway). The second one was with an assist by freshman Kieran Richards (Hamilton, New Zealand).
Within the first five minutes of the first half, Fossen scored the first goal for the Bucs but not without pressure from the Panthers’ defender. Just minutes later, it looked like the Bucs would double their score by a well placed shot in the top corner, but the Panthers goalkeeper stretched full length in order to make the save.
“Everybody will contribute along the way,” said head coach David Casper. “Hauk is a big man, so he is very opposing to the defenders.”
The score was doubled before the end of the first half, when Richards sent the ball to Fossen after they drew a foul. Fossen sent the ball low for the goal.
The Bucs almost had their third goal by senior Merveil Bilomba (Tours, France) after an assist again by Richards but was denied by a Panther defender.
During the second half, neither team was successful in scoring. In the end, the Panthers outshot the Bucs 17-13. However, the Bucs’ defense denied the Panthers from making it onto the scoreboard.
“We have a strong mentality, and I hope that we keep growing in that regard to keep being positive,” said Casper. “There is always room for improvement to be made.”
The Bucs are back home at Summers-Taylor on Saturday, where they are scheduled to take on Georgia State at 7 p.m.
