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FARMVILLE, Va. – High Point's Jaime Vasconcellos played spoiler in scoring the game-winning goal in the 59th minute on a night where the Longwood men's soccer team honored its seven seniors, as the Big South regular season champion Panthers secured their fifth consecutive win in 1-0 fashion Wednesday night at the Athletics Complex.

The Panthers (9-5-1, 7-1-0 Big South) close the regular season as the Big South's hottest team, stringing together five consecutive wins and three consecutive shutouts behind a backline that has yielded just three goals throughout conference play this season. As the top overall seed in the Big South Tournament, High Point will host a semifinal game against either No. 4 seed Liberty or No. 5 seed Gardner-Webb.

Following a scoreless first half in which the Lancers outshot the Panthers by a 4-3 margin, Vasconcellos netted the game-winner after Poli Rodriguez chipped a ball into him in the box. Vasconcellos was able to finish the play by beating Jacob Reimers, who made his third start of the season, to right side of the goal.

"This game was more of a dedication to our seniors and they played their hearts out tonight," said Longwood head coach Jon Atkinson. "That was the best performance of the season. We played with energy and enthusiasm. All that was missing was that final piece. This game was a microcosm of the season where we controlled a good part and we just couldn't finish in the final third."

The one-goal loss for the Lancers marks their ninth of the season, as the squad went 1-9 in such games. In addition, each of Longwood's eight Big South games were decided by a goal or less.

"It was a great effort in taking the Big South regular season champions to the wire, we took the second-place team to the wire and the third-place team to the wire," Atkinson said. "It was the fine margins that stopped us from becoming the team that we wanted to become."

Meanwhile, Longwood's (1-15-2 , 1-6-1 Big South) season comes to a close, as the Lancers' seven seniors – Dan Campos, Tom Devitt, Vaughn Fowler, Chad Kozoyed, Eoin O Donovan, Marten Pajunurm and Alex Waite – were honored before their final collegiate soccer game.

"When I look back on my time at Longwood, I'll remember the relationships that I developed with the coaches, the staff and my teammates," Pajunurm said. "We definitely have a family-like atmosphere throughout the department and that's something I'll really miss."

That group of seven seniors, led by team captains of Campos, Devitt and Pajunurm end their careers with 22 career wins highlighted by last season's Cinderella run to the Big South Championship game, joining the 2012-13 women's basketball team and the four-time Big South champion softball team as the lone program's to play for a Big South Championship.

"This group helped set the standard," Atkinson said of his group of seven seniors. "Our program is in better shape this year than it ever has been. We're so close and these guys did a phenomenal job of putting us right there with the best teams in the country."

Campos, a product of Bergen, Norway, ends a decorated Longwood career as a three-time All-Big South performer, while also being named to the 2014 and 2016 Big South All-Tournament Team. His 2016 season was highlighted by a NCAA-leading 12 assists -- a mark that ranks second in a single season in the program's history behind only Ray Jones' 18 helpers during the 1988 campaign. He leaves as the Longwood men's soccer all-time Division I career assists leader with 25, as that number also ranks third among Longwood's all-time leaders.

Meanwhile, Devitt, who joined the program last season, and Pajunurm have anchored the backline together for each of the past two seasons, rarely coming off the field in that time. Pajunurm, a four-year starter who played all 75 games in his career, amassing more than 6,500 minutes in the process. His defensive partner Devitt has helped steady the Lancer defensive unit, playing all but 10 minutes of the season.

"It was a lot of mixed feelings today," Pajunurm said. "I'm grateful for all of the opportunities that playing at Longwood provided, I was able to play every game over my four years here and that's something I'll cherish for the rest of my life."

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