HPU Men’s Lacrosse Tops Michigan For Fourth-Straight Win

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s lacrosse team picked up its fourth straight win with a 9-7 victory over Michigan on Wednesday at Vert Stadium. Sophomore Dan Lomas scored five goals, including two in the fourth quarter. Redshirt-sophomore Adam Seal had game-high eight ground balls.

The Panthers trailed 7-6 with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. Lomas tied the game with a score on a pass from Matt Thistle with 5:23 remaining. Michigan got off three shots and took nearly two minutes off the clock before Garrett Swaim caused Mike Hernandez to turn the ball over. On the clear, Stevie Kirkup got the ball to Lomas in front of the Michigan cage for the go-ahead goal, 8-7, with 2:35 to play in the game. Mitchell Dupere added an insurance goal with 1:09 on the clock to seal the 9-7 win.

High Point improves to 4-2 on the season, topping their three wins from a year ago. Michigan dropped to 2-4.

“We got another great fourth-quarter effort and it was fun to watch,” said head coach Jon Torpey. “They played with a lot of energy and limited mistakes on defense. Austin Geisler had a great night in goal and Jamie Piluso and Adam Seal did a great job winning face-offs and ground balls.”

Lomas led the team with goals while four other Panthers scored one goal each. Sophomore Matt Thistle had three assists and graduate student Stevie Kirkup tallied one goal and one assist.

Jamie Piluso won 14-of-20 face-offs and picked up four ground balls. Seal led the team with eight ground balls from the wing. Harris Levine had four caused turnovers and three ground balls and Pat Farrell had three caused turnovers.

Austin Geisler made 17 saves for the win, including 10 in the second half.

It was a close game the entire time, with no team getting more than a two-goal advantage. Lomas and Brad James staked the Panthers to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter but Michigan would score four-straight goals to take a 5-3 lead early in the third quarter.

Thistle assisted two goals, one each by Kirkup and Lomas, to tie the game 5-5 at the start of the fourth quarter. Once again Michigan took the lead, 7-6, on Ian King’s third goal of the night. The Panthers scored the final three goals of the game for the 9-7 victory.

High Point had a 46-34 shot advantage in the game and picked up 34 ground balls to Michigan’s 24. High Point went 11-of-14 on clear attempts while Michigan was 17-of-18.

The Panthers return to Atlantic Sun play on Saturday against VMI. The Keydets come to Vert Stadium for a 1 p.m. face-off.