HIGH POINT, N.C. – Ilias Kosmidis and Keegan Meyer of High Point University men’s soccer claim conference honors this Monday, with the former garnering Big South Attacking Player of the Week, and the latter receiving Big South Defensive Player of the Week. While Kosmidis earns the distinction for the third time this year, this is the second time the two Panthers have been honored on the same week. Both Kosmidis and Meyer were pivotal in HPU’s 1-0 win at No. 5/14 Duke this past Tuesday, securing their program’s highest-ranked win all-time.
High Point enters the week at No. 25 in the most recent RPI poll, while sitting 16th in the top-25 released by ‘TopDrawerSoccer.com’ this Monday. The Panthers’ No. 16 ranking is the highest any male HPU program has been placed in school history, and just one spot away from tying the highest rating any High Point program has ever received.
Kosmidis scored his side’s lone goal against the Blue Devils, putting away his 10th of the season off a penalty in the 26th minute. The junior forward/midfielder currently holds conference-highs in both goals (10) and points (22), while remaining tied for 15th and 22nd in the two categories respectively. Kosmidis’ tally proved to be the game-winner, as the Panthers went on to shutout their opponents in a 1-0 final. He’s scored in three of his last five appearances, hitting the back of the net five times in his team’s last six contests.
Meyer added another clean sheet to his running total of five in 2018, making a pair of saves in the Panthers’ shutout victory over Duke. The junior has recorded 19 career clean sheets thus far, one shy of tying the second-most in D1 program history. He faced 20 shots last Tuesday while keeping the Blue Devils scoreless, dropping his goals against average to a conference-best 1.04, and raising his save percentage to a third-best .736 on the season.
Big South Attacking Player of the Week
Ilias Kosmidis | Forward/Midfield | Junior | Thessaloniki, Greece
• Third career Big South Attacking Player of the Week honor; third of the season
• Scored 10th goal of the season on PK against No. 5/14 Duke
• Goal proved to be the game-winner in the highest ranked win in High Point program history
• 10 goals and 22 points tied for 15th and 22nd in all of Division I men’s soccer, respectively
• Has buried all four of HPU’s penalty attempts this season, placing him among the top-five penalty-takers in the nation
Big South Defensive Player of the Week
Keegan Meyer | Goalkeeper | Junior | Silver Spring, Md.
• Fourth career Big South Defensive Player of the Week honor; second of the season
• Delivered his fifth clean sheet of the season, and the 19th of his career against No. 5/14 Duke
• Made two saves against the Blue Devils, both of which came in the final 20 minutes of play
• Delivered the shutout, despite facing 20 shots on the night
• Sits atop the conference with a GAA of 1.04, while his .736 save percentage ranks third
The Panthers have all but secured the top seed in this year’s Big South Championship tournament, as the only squad yet to lose a game in conference play. With a win over Campbell this Wednesday, the worst the Panthers could finish would be third entering this year’s tournament, as they look to go undefeated in league-play for the first time since 2010. If HPU is victorious over the Camels they will officially be off to their best 14-game start in D1 program history, and sit just two wins away from tying the most the team has ever had in a single regular season