LEXINGTON, Va. - The Virginia Military Institute men's soccer team bid farewell to its five seniors Saturday afternoon. VMI fell 4-2 against visiting High Point University in the final Big South Conference game for the program, wrapping up the 2013 season at Patchin Field.

While the score favored the Panthers, who qualified for the Big South Championship Tournament, the future will be bright for the Keydets, who had both goals scored by players who will return in 2014, Blake McCauley and Travis Borkey. One of VMI's assists was from a freshman, Alex Hartman, while the second helper went to senior Santo Ripa.

High Point (8-7-3, 6-2-2) got markers from Pat Shelton, Renato Punyed, Colscon Wiley and Ben Burdon, who also had an assist. Mamadee Nyepon, High Point's leading scorer, did not score, but earned an assist, as did Chris Ramsell and Matt Gweh.

McCauley scored his third goal of the season, and when he strikes, he does so quickly. The junior captain finished a shot just eight minutes into the game, the fastest goal scored by a Keydet this season. All three goals scored by the Fuquay-Varina, N.C. native have been buried in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Borkey scored his second header goal in as many games after burying the game-winner in the 92nd minute of the team's 2-1 overtime thriller at Howard University last weekend. The assist was the first point of Ripa's career, and a fitting way to finish his career with the Keydets.

Senior Daniel Kitchen saw his final action between the pipes for the Virginia Military Institute. The Richmond, Va. native made five saves against High Point, a team that took 14 shots on the day. His opposite, Kody Palmer, made one save but allowed two goals.

The two goals scored by VMI were the most allowed by the Panthers in their last seven games. The Keydets were the first team to score multiple goals against High Point since then-No. 19 Coastal Carolina University bested the Panthers 2-1 in double overtime.

While it was not nearly as card-filled as the last time the two teams met, a game that featured 15 cards, including 12 yellows, the Big South finale had four cards, three going against VMI.

The Keydets (3-14-1, 2-7-0) got on the board early on McCauley's strike. Senior Chase Barnett ripped a shot that was initially stopped by Palmer, but the junior recovered the rebound and potted the shot.

But the lead was short lived as the Panthers leveled the match just over a minute later on Shelton's marker. The Panthers scored twice more before the end of the first half as Punyed and Wiley buried shots in the 29th and 36th minutes, respectively.

Coming out of the break, VMI's offense struck against as Borkey netted his third tally of the year just one minute in the new half. Hartman sent in a corner kick, but Palmer played the ball back out, right to the rookie's feet, essentially setting the Keydets up for another corner. Hartman sent the play in again, this time finding the top of Borkey's head for the Keydets' second goal.

But at the 75 minute mark, Burdon stripped the ball from a Keydet and scored to put High Point's lead out of reach, 4-2.