HPU MSOC Panthers Land Three on NCCSIA All-State Team

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – High Point University men’s soccer places three players on the 2018 NCCSIA All-State list, with Johnny Fenwick, Ilias Kosmidis and Rashid Tetteh all earning nods. Fenwick and Kosmidis both received First-Team recognition, with Tetteh taking a spot on the Second Team.

NCCSIA Release

The NCCSIA annually recognizes a total of 22 student-athletes from Division I men’s soccer programs in the state of North Carolina, with players earning nominations and votes from residing sports information professionals within the state. Fenwick’s honor is his third All-State recognition, after making Second-Team appearances in both 2015 and 2017. Tetteh was named a First-Teamer just last season, while Kosmidis receives designation in his first year of collegiate soccer in the state of North Carolina.

The three Panthers honored, help their team to its most successful season in Division I history, pushing HPU to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship tournament. With Fenwick at the captain’s helm, High Point set a D1 program record in regular season winning percentage while winning a second straight Big South regular season title and an at-large bid to the national tournament.

Both Fenwick and Tetteh led a back-four that secured seven shutouts over the course of the season, along with a goals against average of just 0.99. In addition to earning Big South Attacking Player of the Year, Kosmidis’ 10 goals rank 35th in all of Division I men’s soccer while his five game-winners sit fifth.

Still just a junior, Kosmidis will be returning for a second season with the Panthers in 2019, watching his fellow honorees graduate this coming May. As seniors spending their final year at HPU, Fenwick and Tetteh’s retiring class finish tied for most Big South victories in program history (22), with two conference championships and a single trip to the NCAA tournament.

Seven different programs from the state of North Carolina were represented on this year’s list of honorees, including players from fellow Big South rivals Campbell and Gardner-Webb. The University of North Carolina Charlotte is the only program to have more players represented than HPU on this year’s First-Team (4) and is the only program other than High Point to have players from multiple positions on that list.

North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association
2018 University Division All-State Men’s Soccer Teams

First Team
Pos.  Name                     Class  School              Hometown
GK    Elliot Panicco !         R-Jr.  Charlotte           Huntersville, N.C.
D     Callum Montgomery #      Sr.    Charlotte           Victoria, B.C., Canada
D     Johnny Fenwick @*        Sr.    High Point          Newcastle upon Tyne, England
D     Michael Barrow           So.    Campbell            Liverpool, England
D     Luke Matthews @          Jr.    Elon                Swindon, England
M     Tommy Madden #           Sr.    Charlotte           Burtonsville, Md.
M     Teddy Chaouche @         Jr.    Charlotte           Carpentras, France
M     Jack Hoey                Sr.    Gardner-Webb        Bournemouth, UK
F     Phillip Goodrum #        Jr.    UNCW                Charlotte, N.C.
F     Emil Elveroth @          So.    UNCW                Halmstad, Sweden
F     Ilias Kosmidis           Jr.    High Point          Thessaloniki, Greece

Second Team
Pos.  Name                     Class  School              Hometown
GK    Ryan Cretens ^           R-Sr.  UNCW                Zebulon, N.C.
D     Rashid Tetteh #          Sr.    High Point          Accra, Ghana
D     Gideon Betz ^            Jr.    Campbell            Schlüchtern, Germany
D     Zeiko Harris             So.    Appalachian St.     Sandys Parrish, Bermuda
D     Wilhelm Nilsson          Jr.    UNCW                Stockholm, Sweden
M     Joel Bylander @!         Sr.    UNCW                Stockholm, Sweden
M     Ian Rees                 Jr.    Campbell            Knebworth, England
M     Jack Willbye             Sr.    Elon                Cambridge, England
F     Daniel Bruce #           R-Sr.  Charlotte           Northwich, Cheshire, England
F     JJ Donnelly #            Sr.    Campbell            London, England
F     Camden Holbrook          Fr.    Appalachian St.     Camden Holbrook

Key
Unanimous Selection
# – First-Team All-State in 2017
@ – Second-Team All-State in 2017
! – First-Team All-State in 2016
^ – Second-Team All-State in 2016
* – Second-Team All-State in 2015