HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men's lacrosse team played No. 6 Virginia even in the first half before falling 18-12 in Vert Stadium on Tuesday night.
Freshman Asher Nolting recorded four first-half points (2g, 2a) as the Panthers (0-4) and Cavaliers (3-0) entered halftime tied 9-all. However, the visitors outscored HPU 9-3 in the second thirty minutes to earn the road victory.
"I' proud of the effort we put forth tonight against a very good team," head coach Jon Torpey said. "I thought we did a really good job in the first half of answering their runs. But when the second half came around we didn't play with enough poise. Going forward, we need to make sure we do the necessary things to gain more possessions."
Nolting finished the night with three goals and two assists to reach 15 points through four games, the most in High Point history passing Dan Lomas (11). Also tallying a hat trick, senior Connor Robinson racked up three goals to go with four ground balls and an assist.
At the face-off 'X' sophomore Davis Sampere went 10-of-20 in the first half before finishing the night 13-of-32 while grabbing a team-high eight ground balls. Overall, the Cavaliers earned a 19-to-34 margin in face-offs and 38-28 edge on the ground. Meanwhile, junior Brandon Savoie went 2-of-2 filling in.
Two freshmen, Tyler Stinson (2g) and Koby Russell (1g, 1a), posted the first multi-goal game of their careers. Rounding out the offense, senior Chris Young added a goal and an assist while freshman Colin Clothier scored a goal for the first of his career. Meanwhile, redshirt-junior Keegan O'Connor notched his first tally of the season.
The up-tempo contest resulted in 87 combined shots on a balmy night in High Point. Splitting time in the cage, senior Zach Tuell made eight stops in the first half while junior Tim Troutner Jr. registered seven saves after halftime.
HPU started fast getting five goals from freshmen led by Nolting's two tallies as the Panthers built a 6-4 edge through the first quarter. Sampere played a key role in earning the lead earning six face-off wins and four ground balls in the opening frame.
In the second frame, the Cavaliers posted a 3-0 run before Robinson knotted the score at 7-all with 8:35 until the break. Both teams scored two more goals before Tuell made a save in the EMO to send the game to the break tied at 9-9.
Out of the break, Virginia opened the half with a 4-1 spurt before Nolting scored his fourth goal to make it 13-11 headed into the final period. Including two man-down goals, the Cavaliers opened the fourth with another 4-1 run before closing out a 18-12 win.
The Panthers continue their jam-packed non-conference schedule traveling to St. Johns on Saturday for a noon face-off.
