HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point dismantled Winthrop 5-0 on Saturday, extending its winning streak while the visiting Eagles suffered their third consecutive loss. The Panthers, now 11-1-4, controlled the match from the opening minutes with a relentless attacking display that left Winthrop's defense overwhelmed throughout the contest.
Daniel Lugo opened the scoring in the 12th minute, assisted by Brendan Krueger, giving High Point an early advantage. Lugo doubled the lead in the 29th minute with another assist from Celestin Blondel, establishing a commanding two-goal cushion before halftime. The Panthers' offensive pressure continued after the break when Krueger scored in the 51st minute off a feed from Alfred Baafi. Lukas Kamrath extended High Point's advantage to 4-0 in the 54th minute, assisted by Chris Niblock. Krueger sealed the victory with his second goal in the 55th minute, this time set up by Jefferson Amaya.
High Point's dominance was evident in the statistics: the Panthers generated 13 shots on goal compared to Winthrop's two, while outshooting the Eagles 30-5 overall. High Point also controlled possession with 10 corner kicks to Winthrop's five. Winthrop's goalkeeper made eight saves in a losing effort, while High Point's keeper needed only two stops. Krueger's two-goal performance highlighted High Point's balanced attack across multiple contributors.
The result underscores High Point's tournament credentials heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Winthrop, now 1-12-3, has managed just one win through 16 matches and faces an uphill climb to improve its NCAA Tournament resume.