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After a first half of follies, complete with a head-on collision between High Point sophomore goalie Herman Keungaze and senior defender Matthew Velky, the High Point High School boys' soccer team earned a 2-0 victory against Parkdale on Monday afternoon in Beltsville.

Keungaze left the game with a severe mouth laceration and Velky's back line was left with a backup goalie and a tenuous 1-0 lead.

Velky teamed with freshman defender Bebe Maxime and senior Foday Kabba to deny a flurry of Parkdale second-half chances, preserving High Point's fifth win of the season.

High Point coach Michael Holt said his team played down to Parkdale's level but he was nonetheless pleased with the outcome.

"They were playing around a little bit there but when it came down to the real stuff they came through," Holt said.

With 23 minutes left in the first half, High Point sophomore midfielder Chris Vargas poked in a five-foot rebound from a corner kick, giving Velky and backup goalie Joshua Akwo some breathing room. After that, Velky quelled three Parkdale breakaways with a variety of tackles. Akwo added a crucial stop of his own with 13 minutes left in the game, lunging to punch away a well-placed centering pass that skirted across the front of the goal.

"He did great," Velky said of Akwo. "He's not a trained goalie but he definitely stepped up [Monday]."

Despite the best efforts of Parkdale goalie Omar Torres, who saved nine shots in the loss, High Point junior forward Eric Medrano added another score to seal the deal with eight minutes remaining.

"We didn't really know what to expect from this team," Medrano said of Parkdale, which fell to 2-4 Monday. "We were just hoping for the best and we came out and got the win."

High Point moved to 5-1-1 on the season and will head to Laurel next Wednesday for a 3p.m. match. Parkdale will play Henry A. Wise at home on Friday at 3 p.m.