HPU Mens Soccer Team Prepares for another successful year
By Collin Giuliani
Last season, the High Point Panthers finished with an 11-4-4 record, which was the third best record in a single season since becoming a Division I program in 1999, and finished second in the Big South, which was the team’s best finish since the 2013 season. Despite this successful season including a game against UNC Asheville where the Panthers scored seven goals, which was the program record for most goals scored in a game against a Division I opponent, the Panthers lost in the semifinals of the Big South Tournament to Longwood. Now, the Panthers are looking to build off of the 2016 season and win the Big South Conference for the first time in school history.
HPU lost four seniors from last year’s team, three of which played in at least 18 out of 19 games last season. Among the big senior losses from last year’s team are Chris Ramsell and Renato Punyed. After scoring eight goals in his first three seasons combined, Ramsell scored nine goals last season for the Panthers, which was the third-highest total in the entire conference. As a result, Ramsell received Big South First Team honors, and was a big reason why HPU led the Big South with 41 goals scored. Punyed started every game for the Panthers last season, and finished his HPU career with 61 starts in four seasons. Punyed received Big South First Team honors for his role in anchoring the midfield, and currently plays professionally for IBV in the Icelandic Premier League.
Despite the senior losses, HPU is projected to have a strong offense, as Icelandic forward Siggi Benonysson returns for his sophomore season. As a freshman, Benonysson scored 10 goals, tying with Tresor Mbuyu of Liberty University for the most goals scored in the conference. Benonysson not only received Big South First Team honors, but was also named Freshman of the Year, becoming the fourth HPU player to ever receive this award, and the first since goalkeeper Kody Palmer won the award in 2012. Additionally, Benonysson became the fourth HPU player to ever lead the conference in goals scored.
Defensively, the Panthers are led by junior defender Johnny Fenwick, who started every game last season. After receiving Big South Second Team honors in his freshman year, Fenwick improved on that by receiving Big South First Team honors last season. This year, Fenwick was named the Big South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, splitting the award with Radford defender Fraser Colmer. Fenwick becomes the third HPU player to ever receive the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year award, joining goalkeeper Michael Chesler, who won this award in 2011, and defender Austin Yearwood, who won this award in 2015.
After starting 18 games last season, redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Keegan Meyer returns as the starting goalkeeper of the Panthers for another season. Last year, Meyer was one of three goalkeepers in the Big South to allow less than one goal per game, and finished second in the Big South in shutouts, recording five. Meyer won 10 games last season, becoming just the third HPU goalkeeper in the Division I era (1999-present) to win at least 10 games in a single season.
The Panthers begin their season on Aug. 25 with a home game against the Howard Bison in the first ever meeting between these two programs. Their first road game will be on Aug. 28 against Triad rival UNCG. Conference play begins on Sept. 23 with a road game against UNC Asheville, and concludes on Nov. 1 with a road game against Longwood University.
HPU is picked to finish second in the Big South, according to the preseason poll, as Radford enters the season as the preseason favorite. Radford won the conference last season for the fourth time in school history and for the first time since 2000, and has finished with at least a share of the regular season title in each of the past three seasons. The Big South Tournament will begin on Nov. 5 with the quarterfinals, and will conclude on Nov. 12, with every game in the tournament taking place at the higher seeded team. Six teams qualify for the Big South Tournament, with the top two teams in the regular season standings receiving an automatic spot in the semifinals.
