FARMVILLE, Va. – In a battle between Big South championship contenders, reigning champion High Point wasn't ready to concede the throne just yet.
 
Sparked by a hat trick off the bench from Skyler Prillaman, the Panthers (6-7-2, 6-2-0 Big South) showcased their Big South preseason No. 1 pedigree with a four-goal first half and dealt second-place Longwood its first conference loss of the season, 5-2 Wednesday night at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
 
The defeat snapped a six-game win streak and eight-game Big South unbeaten streak for the Lancers (7-6-4, 6-1-2 Big South), who retain a two-point lead over the Panthers for second place in the conference standings and have already secured a top-three seed in the upcoming 2021 Big South Championship.
 
High Point complicated how that seeding will shake out Wednesday, however, thanks to the three-goal effort from the All-Big South forward Prillaman. Coming off the bench, the former Big South Freshman of the Year capped High Point's four-goal first half with back-to-back goals in the final five minutes before the break. She added her final goal just 29 seconds before the end of the game to complete her first career hat trick and continue the Panthers' surge up the Big South leaderboard, which has now seen them win six of their past seven games.
 
Prillaman's first two goals, along with an early go-ahead strike from Emily Mashinski in the 12th minute and a follow-up from Juliette Vidal in the 35th minute, gave High Point enough of a cushion to withstand a bounce-back second half from the Lancers. Trailing 4-0 out of the break, Lonwood finally responded just over 11 minutes into the second half when senior Layne Fadely – on her senior day – fielded a pass from her fellow senior Danielle Toone and punched it in for her first career goal. Graduate student Madison Lockamy then followed with a solo strike just over six minutes later to trim High Point's lead to 4-2.
 
But the Panthers, who entered the night having outscored their past six opponents 20-7, clamped down after Lockamy's goal and held Longwood to just two shots the rest of the way.
 
"We were chasing shadows in the first half, and the score line shows it," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer. "Credit to High Point for executing at such a high level. We changed some things tactically at the half, but more than anything we started to compete and were able to disrupt and get ourselves back into the game. Tonight was a learning and humbling experience, and all that matters now is how we respond on the road Saturday."
 
Already guaranteed a top-three spot in the final Big South standings and still in the hunt for a top-two seed and accompanying first-round bye in the Big South Championship, Longwood will wrap up the regular season this Saturday at UNC Asheville. That game will tip off at 5 p.m. at Greenwood Soccer Field.
 
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