HIGH POINT, N.C. – On the first trip back since Longwood secured a spot in the 2016 Big South Championship game, High Point derailed a late Lancer rally to earn a 2-1 win in overtime Saturday afternoon at Vert Stadium.
 
Ilias Kosmidis scored in the 107th minute to help the Panthers (10-1, 5-0 Big South) remain unbeaten in Big South play and their sixth consecutive win with their only loss of the season coming to the hands of CAA-foe Elon.
 
Willy Miezan scored for the fourth time this season, equalizing for the Lancers (3-7-1, 1-1-1 Big South) in the 66th minute off a Markus Gronli cross against a 10-man High Point squad. That goal helped Longwood force overtime, as the Lancers have come up short in the overtime session in two games this season.
 
"I'm proud of this team and the potential they have," said Longwood head coach Jon Atkinson. "Sometimes bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will happen. For this to succeed, we have only one option, keep going, keep believing."
 
However, Tony Pineda had a goal and an assist for a three-point game to help the Panthers overcome Longwood's second-half effort. The loss for the Lancers is the second one-goal defeat of the season and extends the team's losing streak to a season-high four consecutive games.
 
"It was a cruel end to what was a game we had control for big parts," Atkinson said. "High Point is a quality team and we pushed them to the max which sometimes makes it more painful to take. However, there were some great positives throughout from new players that equipped themselves well to just how we controlled on what is a very difficult place to play."
 
After recovering from back-to-back ACL tears, Miezan has returned to form that saw him rank among the top 10 in the NCAA with 13 goals during his redshirt-freshman season in 2015. Since coming back, one of three Longwood captains, Miezan leads the team with his four goals – all coming in Big South play.
 
Pineda scored the first goal of the game, his fourth goal of the season, on a play assisted by Jonathan Bolanos in the 29th minute.
 
"Ultimately, I felt what conspired against us was our fitness," Atkinson said. "Our ball retention diminished and transition moments increased which favored them. It's a tough lesson for us and the lads will be hurt by it but buoyed that they hung with arguably the best team in the league."
 
Longwood will look to bounce back Tuesday, Oct. 9, as the Lancers welcome No. 18 NC State to the Athletics Complex. The opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m., with the game streamed on ESPN+.
 
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