HIGH POINT, N.C. - Opening up the regular season against Virginia Commonwealth this Thursday, High Point University women's soccer returns for Head Coach Brandi Fontaine's second season at the helm, looking to build off their 20th straight trip to the postseason in 2018. The Panthers finished the previous campaign at 5-10-4, going into the Big South Championship Tournament as an eighth seed, before falling to regular season title holder Radford in the quarterfinals. With just four players and two regular starters graduating this past season, Coach Fontaine's side seems to be in position for a breakout year, returning 17 letterwinners in all.

I think one of our biggest strengths going into this season is our offense," says Fontaine. "Things are starting to click for them after spending last year trying to teach a young group what we wanted as a coaching staff. I also think the players' understanding and the leadership on the team is at a phenomenal level. We have seniors who are not only leading, but coaching and helping the younger players, which is a huge change from last year. Lastly, our culture has really taken off and people are buying in. 'Buying in' is huge toward being successful and we believe each player has bought into the environment we've been building here."

Included within the plethora of players returning to High Point are 2018 Big South Freshman of the Year Skyler Prillaman and 2019 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Allie Reagan. Prillaman recorded seven goals and 17 points in her first year under Fontaine, and will be a potential Attacking Player of the Year candidate come November, while Reagan played a team-high 1,553 minutes for the Panthers as a junior on the way to earning All-Tournament honors for her efforts.

"I expect Skyler to have a great year for us," says Fontaine. "She is hungry and eager to do more this year. Her confidence is higher and I think she is playing some of her best soccer. I know teams will find ways to shut her down, but we think she will find ways to solve the problems. Allie Reagan will be strong for us in the back line. In years past I don't think she has been given the recognition she deserves, so I was happy for her to receive this honor. Her experience and leadership will make a huge impact in helping to maintain a strong back line for us."

In addition to Reagan's honor the Panthers were selected to finish fifth in this year's Big South Preseason Coaches poll, coming within just four points of fourth-place Campbell. They'll be looking to outplay the odds this fall, in search of their 11th Big South title in program history.

"The Big South is always a toss-up," says Fontaine. "I think our team's biggest challenge this year is going to be ourselves. Can we perform when the pressure is on and can we do it when it's not on? We have to take each game one at a time. I think every team gets hyped up and are on a mission to take us down. We have to make sure we go into every game knowing that it is the opposing team's mission and to take no one lightly. We are a talented group, but talent only takes you so far if you don't put in the work. The group came in fit this year and we have started off strong. I am excited to see what's in store for them this season"

With 10 freshmen and a trio of junior transfers making their way to HPU this offseason, the Panthers will have a number of options all over the field in 2019. Read below to get a quick position-by-position glance of this year's potential starting XI along with some key players off the bench.. 

GOALKEEPERS

With the duo of Emily Lyon and Charlotte Kennedy graduating after the 2018 campaign, rising senior Talia Klimes returns as the lone Panther keeper with previous playing time under her belt. She will be backstopped by redshirt freshman Morgan Hairston, who sat out the previous year, and incoming first-year Sofia Roberts.

The University Park, Md. product had a career season last year, on the way to collecting two of her team's five regular season victories. Klimes recorded a team best 46 saves while making seven starts over 13 appearances, and steering aside .807 percent of the shots on goal she faced in 2018.

Likely to see regular time between the pipes in 2019, freshman Morgan Hairston will get her first look at the Division I level this year after taking a redshirt in her first year on campus. Hairston arrived on the HPU campus in 2018 as a highly touted keeper from nearby East Forsyth, where she earned All-Conference and All-Region honors during her career.

DEFENSE - Fullbacks

After securing five shutouts in the 2018 season, an experienced group of High Point defenders returns to campus this coming year, led by senior captain Allie Reagan. After spending the entirety of last season at center back, Reagan looks to make the move back to her natural position on the outside, where her superior athleticism and technical ability will provide an advantage on more than just the defensive side of the ball.

Seeing a team-high 1,553 minutes on the pitch, Reagan played and started in all but one of the Panthers' 19 matches in 2018, representing the most reliable and constant piece of a defensive foursome that held opponents to a 1.34 goals scored average, and a .086 shooting percentage. Reagan was recognized for her postseason performance against top-seeded Radford in the Big South Tournament, and is tied with fellow senior Alex Denny for the most caps recorded among Panther returnees (59).

Expected to play in the other corner of the pitch, junior Mackenzie Mullins returns to High Point for the 2019 campaign, after making 18 appearances and 14 starts during her sophomore year. Despite entering just her third season with the Panthers, the Garden State product has already played in 40 games over her career, and leads all returning HPU defenders with four points.

DEFENSE - Centerbacks

After starting every match for the Panthers in 2018, centerback Brie Deel returns for her senior campaign to spearhead the middle of her team's back four. Trailing only Reagan for a team-high in minutes (1,504) last year, Deel played a key role in her team's success defensively, playing 90-plus in the Panthers' shutouts of Elon, James Madison and Campbell. The rising senior will also be one of the Panthers'  top threats when it comes to corners, taking a total of nine shots with a single goal in 2019 off of set pieces

Spending the majority of her freshman campaign at center-mid, rising sophomore Shaylyn Owens looks to make the transition to center back, coming off a season where she contributed three points over 14 starts and 19 appearances. Like Deel, Owens will be a key contributor in set pieces over the course of the year, with her lone goal of 2019 coming off a direct free kick from 20 yards out against Presbyterian.

MIDFIELDERS

The Panthers will boast a mix of both experience and talent in the middle of the field this coming season, with rising seniors Maggie Gruber, Ashlyn Kearney and Kyle Levesque all returning for their final campaigns wearing Purple & White.

Earning one of her team's captain's armbands, Kearney will look to build off a successful junior season, that was cut prematurely by injury. With 58 career caps under her belt, Kearney started all 15 matches she appeared in during 2018, earning a goal and an assist in her 858 minutes played. The Thornton, Pa. product scored one of the Panthers'  most impressive goals of the season, driving a shot from 25 yards out against USC Upstate that struck the crossbar before crossing the goal line in HPU's 4-1 victory. 

Splitting time between the midfield and the Panthers' back four over the past three years, Levesque is expected to be one of Coach Fontaine's best defensive options when it comes to the middle of the field. Despite her presence on the defensive end, Levesque will contribute to her team on the offensive side of the ball as well after delivering three assists in her junior year, all of which she recorded while playing fullback.

Maggie Gruber will be one of HPU's first midfield options off the bench in 2019, and will provide depth on the back four as well after accruing the bulk of her minutes from last season on the back line. Making 11 starts in all, Gruber was named to the starting XI seven times in 2019, making 46 appearances off the bench over her three years at High Point.

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS

With the return of sophomores Carsyn Gold and Caitlin Shepherd, along with the addition of transfer Chloe Le Franc, this year's group of Panthers will hope to have an abundance of secondary scoring in the midfield, adding to what is expected to be an already stout ringer of forwards to head up the team's offensive pursuit.

Recording six starts and 18 caps during her senior campaign, sophomore Carsyn Gold can expect to see more regular time in 2019, appearing as the Panthers' top attacking option in the midfield this coming year. The York, Pa. native took 16 attempts at net this past season on the way to recording 906 minutes of playing time, and received All-State recognition during her senior year at Dallastown Area Senior High School.

Despite making just a single start as a freshman, Caitlin Shepherd played in all 19 of HPU's contests in 2018, while her four goals scored tied for second on the team overall. Finishing four of her 20 attempts at net, Shepherd was one of the Panthers' most efficient scorers last year, and will be looking to clinch a rotational starting role, in addition to remaining one of Coach Fontaine's most reliable available substitutes.

FORWARDS

High Point's offensive production will look for a continued rise in 2019, with the Panthers returning nearly 80 percent of their offensive production from the previous campaign. In addition to 2018's Big South Freshman of the Year Skyler Prillaman, Coach Fontaine and company return senior forward Alex Denny, in addition to redshirt-sophomore Charla Ward and rising true sophomores Lauren Mazich and Megan Baker. The HPU attack will be further bolstered by incoming transfers Alex Palmer (MTSU) and Juliette Vidal (Lander), while recent position changes from returners Sydney Colby and Zoe Wehr gives High Point nine attacking options with previous collegiate experience.

Scoring seven goals and recording 17 points, Prillaman's Freshman of the Year honor came well deserved this past season, as the Virginia-native looks to compound on what was one of her program's most impressive freshman seasons all-time. Playing with Charlotte Eagles of the WPSL this offseason, Prillaman led her summer club in scoring as well, playing alongside teammates currently enrolled at Clemson, Mississippi State and Liberty.

The leading scorer for Lander University in 2018, and a former attacker on the French National U17 squad, Juliette Vidal arrives on High Point's campus with an already well rounded resume, and can expect to see immediate playing time alongside Prillaman. Vidal scored a total of 12 goals with seven assists during her two years with the Bearcats, helping to lead the DII side to its first ever NCAA tournament in 2018.

Playing two seasons at Middle Tennessee State, junior Alex Palmer made 26 appearances for the Blue Raiders before making the decision to come to High Point. The new addition up top made an immediate impact in the Panthers' first preseason scrimmage, applying the first of her team's three goals against visiting Charlotte.

Alex Denny will be one of the Panthers' top forwards in the mix, looking to expand on the four goals she finished in the 2018 season. Making 59 appearances over her HPU career, Denny currently holds more career points than any active High Point player at 19 overall.

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