HIGH POINT, N.C. –– After making an NCAA Tournament appearance for the eighth time in program history, the High Point University women's soccer team is equipped to continue the fight under HPU head coach Aaron McGuiness.
Coming off the first Big South Conference title in the Coach McGuiness era, HPU is set to welcome eight teams to Vert Stadium while competing against eight teams away for the 2026 regular season. High Point will face one opponent from last season that went into the NCAA Tournament on the road.
"We are excited for this fall," McGuiness said. "We have a very challenging non-conference schedule that we feel will put us in a strong position to be successful in conference."
Exhibition matches at Vert Stadium
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The reigning Big South Conference champions start their season off with two exhibition matches, both at Vert Stadium. The first match is set for August 5 against Queens University and will be followed with a matchup versus App State on August 8.
Early home slate and non-conference play
For the first official game, the Panthers are pitted against cross-town Triad rival UNC Greensboro for a Thursday home game on August 13. HPU will host Davidson College on August 16, while the last home event before hitting the road will be against Marshall on August 20.
The Panthers are then set to travel to the coast for a matchup against East Carolina University for Sunday afternoon play on August 23. HPU is home again for a match against NC State on August 27 before traveling for five consecutive matches, two of which start conference play. The Panthers and Wolfpack played to a draw in the last 2023 clash in Raleigh.
On August 30, the Panthers match up with another in-state Triad rival in Elon, who also made it to the first round of the NCAA Tournament this past season. The Panthers then take a trip to Fort Myers, where they will face the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast on September 12 after taking a tie in 2023 at home.
Big South Conference schedule
Conference play starts with a match against Longwood on September 19 in Farmville, Va. High Point currently holds a record of 18-5-5 over Longwood since 1995. HPU travels to the mountains to play UNC Asheville on September 26, where the Panthers currently are undefeated over eight games with five shutouts.
The Panthers are back on their home turf at Vert Stadium, where they are matched up against Radford on October 3. HPU will then host conference opponent USC Upstate on October 10 after beating them for the Big South Conference Championship title. HPU and USC Upstate are currently 6-6-0 overall. The win against Upstate marks the eighth championship win for High Point after the two teams went into double overtime and HPU won 7-6 in a PK shootout.
High Point travels to Boiling Springs, where the Panthers face Gardner Webb on October 14. HPU holds a record of 16-3-6 and has not lost a game to the Bulldogs since 2019. In their last road match, the Panthers play Presbyterian on October 21 in Clinton, where they have secured three straight shutout wins and only one loss since 2012 to claim a record of 16-4-1 overall.
Regular-season finale and postseason
HPU hosts the final two regular-season matches, welcoming Charleston Southern on October 28. Overall, the Panthers are unbeaten over a 5-0-3 record in the last eight matches. Winthrop comes to Vert Stadium to cap the regular season with Senior Night on October 31. HPU is on a six-game win streak over the Eagles.
High Point then heads into postseason play with the Big South Conference Tournament from November 5 through 15. The tournament will be held at the highest seed's field, where the Panthers aim to make it to the championship game once again.
