HIGH POINT, N.C. – After wrapping up a competitive non-conference schedule on a positive note with a 1-0 win at Davidson Tuesday night, the High Point University men's soccer team turns its attention to conference play, beginning Saturday at 7 p.m. against Gardner-Webb (1-2-1) at Vert Stadium. 
 
"We challenged ourselves as much as anybody in the country did," HPU Head Coach Zach Haines said. "We spent nearly 60 hours on a bus. We've had multiple overnights. We've played three top-five teams in the country, so I think our guys are tested, and I think that they are more than ready for conference play because of how they stepped to every test along the way, and they've continued to learn." 
 
Conference Dominance 
The Panthers (3-3-1) have dominated the Big South Conference since Haines took the head coaching job in 2019, boasting a 44-2-7 regular-season record against its conference opponents and an 11-3 record in Big South Conference tournament play, including four tournament championships in seven years.  
 
On home turf, HPU has only suffered two losses, with the last coming to Gardner-Webb in 2024. And on the road, HPU hasn't lost a conference game in 10 years. The Panthers are the only Big South school to be unbeaten on the road in Big South play since September 2016 when the Panthers lost to Presbyterian 2-1 in OT. Coach Haines has never lost a Big South regular-season road game. 
 
Offensive Attack 
HPU is less than a year removed from a season in which the Panthers registered three or more goals in 10 games, including two games with five scores. HPU scored five goals in the season-opening match, a 5-2 win over LIU, to lead the best offensive showing this season as the Panthers enter conference play looking for more production. HPU is still led by its top two scorers from last season.  
 
Daniel Lugo is coming off an historic 2025 season in which he led the Panthers in goals (14) and points (33), while being ranked No. 4 in the TopDrawerSoccer 2025 Postseason National Top 100 Players. In his second season in Purple and White, Lugo was ranked the No. 2 player in the nation coming in, and is tied for a team lead in goals (3) and tied for second in points (6). He's tallied 14 shots and five attempts at goal this season.  
 
A sophomore slump is a common terminology in sports and has affected a variety of different athletes, but not Prosper Adagani. As a freshman coming primarily off the bench, Adagani impressed with six goals, including braces against Central Arkansas and Radford. The Ghana native has started in all seven matches this season and is nearly off to a better start this season than he was last, as he's recorded three goals, including the game-winning goal against Davidson in the 59th minute to break the scoreless drought and uplift the Panthers back into the winning column after dropping back-to-back games to No. 13 South Carolina and No. 4 Georgetown. Adagani leads the team in points (7) and is tied for a team lead in shots (14) and shots on goal (7) and goals (3). 
 
Four other Panthers have notched a goal this season: Nick Sarantakos (2), Alfred Baafi (1), and two who have recorded game-winning goals: Aidan Morrison and Enzo Rekka.  Outside back Noah Behrmann leads the team in assists (4) while Baafi has three and Sarantakos has two. 
 
History with Gardner-Webb 
The Panthers have had a long history with Gardner-Webb over the last seven years as the two programs have faced each other 12 times since 2019, with Haines holding the edge over Gardner-Webb, 8-2-2. HPU holds the advantage over the Runnin' Rebels in the series with a 17-3-6 record, including a 6-2-2 record in the last 10 matches and a 10-2-3 record at Vert Stadium.  
 
HPU and Gardner-Webb have had some crucial matchups in the Haines era, including last season's Big South Tournament championship game as the No. 1 Panthers shutout the No. 2 Runnin' Rebels, 3-0, at Vert Stadium in a rematch of the 2024 tournament championship game where Gardner-Webb knocked off HPU, 2-1. Last year's tournament championship game was the second time the two had faced off last season, with the Panthers winning its regular-season matchup 3-0. In both matches last season, Lugo recorded a goal.  
 
Conference Overview 
High Point currently has the third-best record in the conference at 3-3-1. UNC Asheville sits atop the conference standings with a 5-1-1 record, which included a draw at Furman and wins against Wofford and ETSU. Longwood trails right behind AVL with a 5-2 record. Gardner-Webb holds a record of 1-2-1, good for fifth best in the conference, including road match losses at James Madison and Furman. The Runnin' Rebels' only victory came at Coastal Carolina, 2-1.  
 
Big South Standings  
UNC Asheville      5-1-1 
Longwood             5-2 
High Point             3-3-1 
Winthrop               3-3 
Gardner-Webb       1-2-1 
Radford                 2-4 
USC Upstate         2-6 
Presbyterian          0-6 
 
Next Three Games 
After the Panthers' conference opener against Gardner-Webb, HPU will host Guilford College for the Family Weekend game on Friday, September 25 at 7 p.m. Guilford College holds a record of 0-3-1 this season. The Panthers will then hit the road for a match against Winthrop (3-3) on Tuesday, September 29 at 6 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C. Winthrop opened its season with opening wins against USF and Johnson & Wales before dropping three of its next four games.