JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Prosper Adagani turned his first collegiate goal into the game-winning score as the No. 24 High Point University men's soccer team secured the 1-0 shutout win over East Tennessee State University on Monday night.
The victory was the second straight win over the Buccaneers as the Panthers improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2020-21.
Site: Summers-Taylor Stadium
Score: No. 24 High Point 1, ETSU 0
Records: High Point (2-0), ETSU (0-2)
Head Coach Zach Haines: "I love what we did in the second half. It was never going to be easy coming off the high of the Georgetown win and going on our first away trip together. ETSU played really well in the first half. They tested and challenged us. Our guys stayed strong and the response in the second half was really great. It was a good clean sheet, and I thought the effort from every single guy that came on — particularly in the second half — was excellent. I'm proud of their resilience, and again, them doing what they needed to do in the second half."
The Panthers kicked it up a notch after intermission, raising the intensity and staying composed. After registering just one shot in the first half, HPU out-shot ETSU, 7-1, and held the Buccaneers to zero corner kick opportunities in the final 45 minutes.
Starting the second half after coming off the bench at the 30-minute mark, Adagani fired off back-to-back shots within three minutes. The freshman forward wasn't successful on the first, but the second one — via a instinctive back-heel assist from
Brendan Krueger — rolled off his right foot and into the back left corner at the 60-minute mark. It was the Ghanian's first collegiate goal, a 1-0 lead the Panthers never surrendered.
"Prosper is going to be a big-time player for us," Haines said. "He's continuing to settle in and learn his role, but the talent is exceptional. You can see it on the goal just the way he takes it on the first touch and the finish. He has so much to offer. And Krueger he does what he does, which is produce for us. I'm glad we found a breakthrough. We had several other fantastic moments in the second half and would have liked to make it a little bit more comfortable, but I love the resolve down the stretch — particularly from the defenders — to make sure we got the clean sheet."
High Point saw multiple scoring chances, some of those coming from
Koven Johnson and
Alfred Baafi, but were unable to find a security blanket. It played out in favor of the away team as the defense held its own, shutting down any Bucs' counters while
Josh Caron secured the first shutout victory.
Up Next: High Point continues its road trip with a match at Charlotte on Friday, August 29 at 7 p.m.
#GoHPU
