HIGH POINT, N.C — In the first October Big South Conference match, the High Point University men's soccer team blanked Longwood, 2-0, on a brisk and misty night at Vert Stadium.
It marked the Panthers' fifth straight win and second consecutive clean sheet as HPU moved to No. 29 in the NCAA DI Men's Soccer RPI.
In a moment bigger than the game, HPU goalkeeper
Josh Caron exchanged his No. 1 jersey for No. 27 to show support of Furman University's Luke Munson, who suffered an injury earlier this season that unfortunately ended his soccer career.
Caron met Munson for the first time this summer, playing with USL-2 Hickory FC as the duo became close friends and roommates.
"He gives everything he can every day and he's just a good person regardless of how it goes on the field," Caron said. "I have no doubt that because of the type of person he is, that he's going to make it through this. It shows that this is bigger than sports; a lot of Division I athletes think about the competitive nature of the game, but when you can do something like [wear a new jersey number in his honor], I think it shows that we are all people too, and everybody needs support, whether that's mental or just whatever your physical journey is. Regardless of if we are on opposite teams, we are all humans."
Site: Vert Stadium
Score: High Point 2, Longwood 0
Records: High Point (7-3-1, 3-0-0), Longwood (6-4-0, 1-2-0)
Head Coach Zach Haines: "Every win is an important win, but particularly in the Big South. It was a very, very good performance start to finish. Longwood is a good team. They have been really impressive, especially from an attacking standpoint so far this season. We knew we would have to be on it in every way. We are super happy with the guys, and we wanted to honor Luke Munson tonight. Our whole program and university is behind Furman too, because what that young man and program is going through and his friends, coaches, family and community, is unspeakable really. We are sending them our love in a big way, every single day, as much as we can do, we are here to do it."
The Panthers controlled the possession throughout the first half, earning chances at net as five had shots with
Daniel Lugo having the lone shot opportunity. That was until the 41st minute when
Prosper Adagani had his first shot on goal and netted the chance for the 1-0 lead. It was Adagani's fifth goal this season, which is second on the team.
The sophomore took a heel-flick from
Nick Sarantakos and sprinted down the left side of the field, outrunning all the Lancers to give the Panthers the advantage heading into the locker room.
HPU halted all Longwood chances in the box as they had one shot on goal of six chances to the Panthers' seven.
Out of half time, the Lancers had three quick shots with one on goal, but Caron corralled the chance in the crowded box. The Panthers responded with attacking moments as Lugo had multiple chances but one was blocked and the other was high.
Longwood countered with a strike on net that was saved, and then
Alfred Baafi,
Aidan Morrison, and
Anthony Ramirez fired shots that didn't hit home. The Panthers found one in the 85th minute when Lugo took a feed from
Kieran Smith and sliced the ball through traffic to give the Panthers a cushion and the 2-0 lead for good. It was the senior's third goal this week, putting him at a team-high nine on the season with six coming over the past three games.
The Lancers had a few more chances late, firing off 11 shots in the second half to the Panthers' eight, but it wasn't enough as HPU pulled away for the victory. Caron finished with three saves and his second straight clean sheet, while HPU had four corner kicks to Longwood's two.
Up Next: The Panthers travel to USC Upstate on Friday, October 9 at 6:00 p.m.
#GoHPU
