FARMVILLE, Va. – When facing the stingiest defense in the Big South, the best strategy is to take the defense out of the equation.
 
Reigning Big South regular season champion High Point (4-6-0, 1-0-0 Big South) did just that, taking advantage of a handball in the box riding the ensuing penalty kick goal from Michelle Micciche to a 1-0 win over Longwood, claiming the Big South opener between two conference frontrunners Saturday afternoon at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
 
The goal was the lone score of a back-and-forth battle that pitted the preseason No. 2 pick High Point against the preseason No. 5 pick Longwood (5-4-1, 0-1-0 Big South) in a matchup that featured two of the Big South's top goalkeepers in Longwood's Maria Kirby and High Point's Alex Hank.
 
Kirby – who entered the game as the Big South leader in in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts – faced the toughest challenge of the night when High Point senior Micciche was awarded a penalty kick just 14:18 into the game following a Longwood handball in the box. Kirby guessed left, but Micciche went the opposite direction and punched in what would become her fourth career game-winning goal to give High Point a 1-0 lead.
 
The goal was only the second Longwood has allowed on its home field this season and only the seventh – the fewest in the Big South – Longwood has allowed this season. It also snapped a 219-minute home scoreless streak for Kirby, who went on to stop the next five shots she faced.
 
"That is definitely a tough pill to swallow," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer, whose Lancers lead the Big South in goals against average and shutouts. "I thought two good teams were pretty evenly matched throughout the game, and that penalty call was the difference in the end.
 
"However, we can't complain because we didn't help our own cause and finish some good chances we created. High Point won the physical battle, especially in the air, so give them credit for grinding out a result."
 
The Lancers came out firing but had little to show for it. They took four of the game's first five shots – all before Micciche's PK goal – but put only one of those on goal, which Hank saved. Their best look came when sophomore forward Emilie Kupsov sprinted straight past two High Point defenders to corral a through ball just outside the box, but the ensuing shot sailed just wide.
 
Longwood and High Point matched each other with 12 shots apiece, but the Panthers survived everything the Lancers threw at them en route to their second straight shutout.
 
"The first half we did pretty well; we had more chances, and we were attacking," said Longwood junior midfielder Kathryn Miller. "We just needed to finish, but we didn't. It was a fluke thing with the PK, but High Point responded well. We didn't. In the second half they were stronger, and we didn't have as many opportunities. We need to finish and create more opportunities up top."
 
High Point claimed control in the midfield after halftime, allowing Longwood just three shots on goal in the second half. Hank saved all three of those on the way to a five-save shutout that was her third clean sheet of the season.
 
The loss is only Longwood's second at home this season and snaps a two-game win streak at the Longwood Athletics Complex. The Lancers now hit the road, continuing their Big South schedule with back-to-back road trips to Winthrop on Wednesday, Sept. 27, and Presbyterian on Saturday, Sept. 30.
 
"We need to respond well and realize we did play hard, we did play well," Miller said. "We can compete with any team; we just have to make sure we finish when we have the opportunity. Our defense is holding them down to zeroes and ones. We just have to do better up top and score more goals if we want to win."
 
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