HIGH POINT, N.C.— No. 16 High Point University men's soccer made history this past Monday, becoming the first HPU men's program to earn an at-large bid to a Division I NCAA Tournament. The Panthers' selection is their first in the history of the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship, as they prepare to face No. 28 James Madison at home this Thursday.

This week's matchup at Vert Stadium will be the first NCAA tournament game hosted on High Point's campus, as the Panthers faceoff with the Dukes for the first time in program history. While HPU is coming off its second consecutive Big South regular season title, JMU collected both regular season and tournament championships in the Colonial Athletic Association this year. 

The Panthers' trip to the tournament already marks their deepest postseason run in program history, while the Dukes will attempt to move beyond the first round for the second time in the past 23 years. The winner of Thursday's contest will automatically advance to a round two matchup with No. 5 North Carolina, as the nationally-seeded Tar Heels host a regional for a second straight year. 
 
No. 16 High Point (13-2-2) vs No. 28 James Madison (12-4-3)
When: Thursday, November 15, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: High Point, N.C. | Vert Stadium
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: Never
Watch: ESPN3
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

On the Panthers
• The Panthers sport one of the top offenses in the country, with their 1.76 goals per game sitting 35th in the country. They've been shutout just once all season
• HPU also boasts a stout defense, as its 0.89 goals against average is 34th in Division I. The side has produced seven shutouts in 2018
• Forward Ilias Kosmidis leads the the conference with 10 goals and 23 points, and received Big South Attacking Player of the Year honors earlier in the month
• Big South Freshman of the Year Tony Pineda sits third in the conference concerning both goals (7) and points (19). His scoring total is second only to teammate Siggi Benonysson, for most goals by a Panther freshman in Division I history
• Only four other teams in the nation have a higher winning percentage than High Point (.824), as the Panthers' .844 regular season winning percentage set a new program D1 record 
• The Panthers are 1-1-0 against ranked opponents heading into Thursday's contest, dropping a 4-2 decision to current No. 1 Wake Forest, and beating current No. 8 Duke, 1-0 on the road
 
On the Dukes
• The Dukes will be making their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament this Thursday, after winning their sixth CAA title over the course of the weekend
• JMU's 0.50 goals against average is fourth in Division I, while goalkeeper TJ Bush holds the 16th-highest save percentage in the country (.821)
• James Madison has had 11 different goal scorers over the course of the year. Carson Jeffris and Manuel Ferriol lead the Dukes with 17 points apiece, despite the former starting just three matches all year
 
Series Notes:
• This is the first time that HPU and JMU have met one another, however the Panthers are 34-22-3 against current CAA members all-time
• While the Panthers will be making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Dukes are 4-12-1 all-time when playing in the national championship bracket
• James Madison made it as far as the elite eight twice during the 90's, but has since advanced beyond the first round just once
 
Coming Up Next:
• The winner of Thursday's contest has a date with No. 5 North Carolina, playing a second round matchup at Chapel Hill this coming Sunday
• In 11 meetings, the Panthers have never defeated UNC, however the two sides have not played one another in over 11 calendar years

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