KANSAS CITY, Mo. — High Point University men's soccer forward
Daniel Lugo has been named to the United Soccer Coaches 2026 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy NCAA Division I Men's Players to Watch List, which was announced by the association on Monday.
The All-American Lugo returns to HPU for his senior season after becoming the program's second-highest draft pick when the Vancouver Whitecaps selected him in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft with the 29th overall pick on December 18, 2026.
In 2025, his first season at High Point after transferring from North Carolina, Lugo started in 19 of 20 games while scoring 14 goals — with a single-season program best seven game-winning scores — and assisting on five for a team and conference-leading 33 points in 1,191 minutes played.
The Floridan racked up the accolades in one season as the Big South Conference Male Athlete of the Year, Big South Offensive Player of the Year, Big South Newcomer of the Year, Big South Tournament MVP, Big South First Team member, United Soccer Coaches All-American, MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List, TDS Player of the Year Finalist and a member of the TDS Best XI First Team as the No. 4 player in the nation.
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2026 NCAA Division I Men's Players to Watch – Forwards
| Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| David Ajagbe |
Jr. |
University of Portland |
Surrey, B.C. |
| Jaime Amaro |
Jr. |
Bryant University |
Madrid, Spain |
| Mitchell Baker |
Jr. |
Georgetown University |
Melbourne, Australia |
| Jubril Bamgbala |
Sr. |
United States Military Academy |
North Providence, R.I. |
| Leo Conneh |
So. |
Michigan State University |
Anoka, Minn. |
| Blake D'Agostino |
Jr. |
California Baptist University |
Greenwood Village, Colo. |
| Andrea Di Blasio |
Sr. |
Boston University |
Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| Isaac Emojong |
So. |
University of Portland |
Davis, Calif. |
| Jeremy Francou |
Sr. |
UMKC |
Chartres, France |
| Ivar Gissurarson |
Sr. |
University at Albany |
Reykjavik, Iceland |
| Joe Highfield |
Sr. |
University of Portland |
Plymouth, Minn. |
| Samson Kpardeh |
Jr. |
Liberty University |
Worcester, Mass. |
| Mikkel Lejbowicz |
Jr. |
Seton Hall University |
Farum, Denmark |
| Matt Lenert |
Sr. |
College of Charleston |
Falls Church, Va. |
| Daniel Lugo |
Sr. |
High Point University |
St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| Andres Escudero Martin |
So. |
University of Louisville |
San Sebastian de los Reyes, Spain |
| Arnold Matshazi |
Jr. |
University of Virginia |
Milton Keynes, England |
| Johan Nissen-Lie |
Jr. |
Bellarmine University |
Asker, Norway |
| Stephane Njike |
Jr. |
Indiana University |
Paris, France |
| Ryan Okerayi |
Sr. |
Houston Christian University |
Houston, Texas |
| Finlay Oliver |
Sr. |
Stony Brook University |
Oneonta, N.Y. |
| Pablo Pozos |
Sr. |
West Virginia University |
Madrid, Spain |
| Thomas Robertson |
Sr. |
Lehigh University |
Chapel Hill, N.C. |
| Drew Roskos |
Jr. |
Bucknell University |
Delran, N.J. |
| Donovan Sessoms |
Sr. |
University of California Santa Barbara |
Antelope, Calif. |
| Stephan Soghomonian |
Jr. |
Southern Methodist University |
Santa Clarita, Calif. |
| Marius Stenner |
Jr. |
University of Delaware |
Svendborg, Denmark |
| Chris Verheul |
Jr. |
Marist University |
Steenderen, Netherlands |
The list are compiled and released by the Division I All-America Committees to promote college soccer leading up to the
official start date for the regular season later this month. The lists include United Soccer Coaches All-Americans
and All-Region players from 2025 who are scheduled to return for the 2026 season.
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These positional announcements also lead up to the 2026 watch lists for the prestigious Missouri Athletic Club's
Hermann Trophyon the official start date for regular season games on August 19 (men). The MAC Hermann
Trophy is presented annually to the Division I National Players of the Year as voted by Division I College
Coaches at the end of the regular season. |
#GoHPU
