August 29, 2025
Heading into the season the Panthers were unranked in the NCAA Division I men’s soccer preseason poll by the United Soccer Coaches. Only two games into the season the group has proved to everyone why they deserve to be put in conversations with big name teams such as Vermont, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Wake Forest.
Coming off a stellar season last year where the team finished 11-4-2 before losing to Gardner-Webb in the Big South conference championship game. A heartbreaking end to an otherwise memorable season. With that loss came some preseason critics but the team was quick to prove that they can play with the best of them.
“Everyone saw what we did last year, everyone knows what we're capable of. I think the motivating factor was making sure we're in a position to achieve all of our goals this year,” head coach Zach Haines said.
The team started off the season hot, winning their first two games. It started off with a statement win against then ranked No.14 Georgetown 1-0 and then followed that up defeating East Tennessee State University 2-1. The team’s new ranking is mostly due to the win they grabbed in their season opening upset against the Hoyas and the team is now hoping to carry that momentum and confidence with them throughout the rest of the season.
“It was huge because Georgetown has been one of the best programs in the country every year the past ten years or so. It’s not just beating a ranked opponent, it's beating what we think is one of the premiere programs in the country,” Haines said.
While this season has been off to a good start the real test comes tonight as the team will hit I-85 to take on the Charlotte 49ers, a school the team has yet to beat in program history. In their past meetings Charlotte has edged out the Panthers with a final score of 1-0 both times.