High Point survived 110 minutes of scoreless soccer and then battled out of a 2-0 hole in the decisive penalty-kick shootout to stun UNC Asheville, 3-2, and claim its first Big South women's soccer title Saturday night in the championship game of the 2003 Radisson Hotel High Point Big South Women's Soccer Championship at Albion Millis Stadium.

The Panthers (10-9-1) earned the Big South's automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship, which begins Friday at campus sites. Pairings will be released Monday, Nov. 10, at 4:00 pm Eastern time live on ESPNews.

The Bulldogs fell to 11-6-3.

In the only overtime game of the tournament, High Point was outshot 9-6 in regulation, but applied pressure in the two overtime periods and outshot UNCA 7-1 in the extra frames. The Panthers' Tanya Wolf came inches from ending things in the 103rd minute when her shot from 25 yards out hit the crossbar.

The Bulldogs shot first in the penalty shootout, and climbed to a 2-0 lead when Erin Trigonoplos and Adriane Dufty converted their shots, while UNCA keeper Michelle Mattos stopped attempts by HPU's Ryan Hays and Jen Evans. But Hilary McKay's shot hit the right post, and the Panthers' Lena Svensson converted to pull HPU within 2-1.

UNCA's Emily Langill then missed high, allowing High Point's Chelsi Parrado to knot things up at 2-2 when her shot found the top right-corner. The Bulldogs' Olivia Korman missed high, and HPU's Stephanie Moenter rocketed a shot into the upper left-corner to send the Panthers to their first-ever NCAA Tournament.

Mattos and High Point's Katie Smith each made five saves in net.

Moenter was named the Championship's Most Valuable Player, and was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammates Hays, Smith, and Emily Lanham.