HIGH POINT, N.C.— High Point University men's soccer tallied its third straight win to open 2018 this past Friday at ETSU, the first time the Panthers program has opened a season 3-0 since 2012. HPU travels up the road to faceoff with UNCG in Greensboro this Tuesday, before opening its regular season home schedule against Elon on Saturday.

The Panthers enter this week's match with the Spartans after a 3-2 overtime win on the road at ETSU, following a 2-1 victory at Davidson. HPU will be looking to beat UNCG for a seventh consecutive time this week, while the Spartans attempt to bounce back from a 1-0 loss at the hands of Davidson.
 
High Point (3-0-0) at UNCG (2-1-0)
When: Tuesday, September 4, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Soccer Stadium
All-Time Series: Greensboro leads 14-10 | Match Notes
Last Meeting: Win 2-1, on Aug. 28, 2017 in Greensboro, N.C.
Watch Live: SoCon Digital Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
On the Panthers
• Junior forward Jonathan Bolanos picked up his first goal of the year against ETSU, while Ilias Kosmidis and Tony Pineda each collected their second
• Kosmidis and Pineda are both on a two-match scoring streak, while the former has picked up points in each of his team's first three matches in 2018
• Forward Siggi Benonysson added a pair of assists against the Buccaneers to gather his second multi-point performance of the season, fresh off a Big South Attacking Player of the Week honor
• Pineda's six points are not only a team-high, but are the most of any other player in the Big South as well
• The Panthers lead the Big South in both goals per game (2.33) and goals against average (0.96), holding a league best goal differential of +4
• HPU is the only team in the conference yet to face defeat this season, with the rest of the Big South combining for five wins on the year
 
On the Spartans
• Senior forward Matt Mattis is UNCG's lone multi-goal scorer of the 2018 season, hitting the back of the net against Big South sides, Longwood and Presbyterian
• Redshirt freshman Ricky Zarri has played all but 16 minutes of the Spartans' season between the posts, accruing 11 saves and a .876 save percentage in the process
• Five of UNCG's six goals this season came against Longwood, while the Spartans' other two contests ended in 1-0 overtime decisions
• UNCG's two goals allowed are a Southern Conference-best and its 2.00 goals per game rank second
 
Series Notes:
• HPU is 10-14 against the Spartans all-time, but is currently on a six-game winning streak against the side
• The last time the Spartans beat the Panthers (2008), HPU's current head coach EJ O'Keeffe was in the UNCG starting XI
• UNCG has been shutout three of the last four times its played High Point, and has amassed a total of three goals against the Panthers since 2010
 
Coming Up Next:
• The Panthers matchup with Elon in their home opener, hosting the Phoenix at 7 p.m. this Saturday
• HPU is 28-12-12 against Elon, losing its most recent contest with the Phoenix 3-0
 
#GoHPU