HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point University's Daniel Lugo has been named one of five TopDrawerSoccer Men's College Soccer Player of the Year Finalists as announced by the organization on Friday morning.
 
Lugo becomes the first High Point men's soccer player to be selected as a TDS Player of the Year Finalist after a brilliant first season in Purple & White. He joins Junior Diouf (Grand Canyon), Laurie Goddard (Hofstra), Diego Hernandez (Furman) and Zach Zengue (Georgetown) as the honorees nominated for the award.
 
The redshirt sophomore striker made an immediate impact, transferring to High Point from North Carolina and starting in 19 of 20 games while scoring 14 goals — with seven game-winning scores — and assisting on five for a team and conference-leading 33 points.
 
Lugo's seven game-winning goals are the program's most in a single-season, breaking Mamadee Nyepon's record of six set in 2012 while being the second most in all the NCAA in 2025. His 14 goals scored and 33 points are the fourth-most recorded since 2020 when fellow MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List member MD Meyers did the exact same. In the NCAA rankings, Lugo is tied for eighth in goals and 10th in 33 points. 
 
The 6-foot-2 forward netted his first collegiate goals in the season opener against No. 14/25 Georgetown and scored in 12 total matches en route to High Point's best season in program history that featured the school's highest NCAA Tournament national seed (#10), first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance and 14-2-4 record.
 
Lugo had a brace against Georgetown to jumpstart 2025 and ended the regular season with his second versus Winthrop. The clutch scorer scored the game-winning goal in three straight matches, beginning with one in the regular-season finale versus the Eagles followed by one in the Big South Tournament semis against USC Upstate before topping it off in the Big South Championship against Gardner-Webb. Lugo's game-winning score against the Runnin' Bulldogs helped break the single-season game-winning goals' record, while perfecting the undefeated 9-0 league record and completing a historic conference goal differential, 30-1, with two trophies to show for.
 
Lugo was named the Big South Tournament MVP and continues to add onto his list of accolades with this latest honor:
 

• TDS Player of the Year Finalist
• MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List
• TDS Midseason Top 100 Players (#31)
• Big South Offensive Player of the Year
• Big South Newcomer of the Year
• Big South First Team
• Big South Tournament MVP
• Big South Offensive Player of the Week (x2)
• Big South Midseason Players to Watch List