High Point Men’s Lacrosse Drops Opener at No. 2/No.1 Duke, 18-6

• Freshman Asher Nolting anchored the HPU attack posting three points (1g, 2a) in his collegiate debut.
• Junior Tim Troutner Jr. made 10 saves in the crease for the Panthers while picking up four ground balls.
• High Point is back on the road on Tuesday when it visits Washington D.C. to play Georgetown at 3:00 p.m.

DURHAM, N.C. – The High Point University men’s lacrosse team started its 2018 season with an 18-6 setback to No. 2/No. 1 Duke on Thursday night in Koskinen Stadium.

The Blue Devils (2-0) opened the game with a 6-0 run and led by that score through the first 19 minutes. Although the Panthers (0-1) answered with two straight goals early in the second, they wouldn’t get any closer than four, 6-2, the rest of the contest.

“I thought our guys played with a good amount of fight, but we definitely did not execute our fundamentals or our gameplan tonight,” head coach Jon Torpey said. “When you spot the No. 1 team in the nation six goals to start the game and you’re chasing for basically four quarters it’s not going to bode well for you. We have a lot to learn and this gives us an opportunity to grow and I’m looking forward to see how these guys handle the challenge of another great opponent on Tuesday.”

On the offensive end, freshman Asher Nolting started his career with a three-point performance scoring a goal while assisting on two others. Senior Chris Young scored two goals while senior Connor Robinson and freshman Tyler Stinson added one apiece giving Canadians four of HPU’s six goals on the night.

Defensively, junior Tim Troutner Jr. made 10 stops while causing a turnover and grabbing four ground balls.

Rounding out the scoring sophomore Mitchel Snyder notched his 11th career goal while junior Brandon Savoie tallied his first career point with an assist.

Overall, the Blue Devils earned a 16-to-27 edge in face-off wins and were plus-5 in ground balls (30-25). Sophomore Davis Sampere paced the team with six ground balls while going 8-of-17 in face-offs.

After Duke started the game with a 6-0 run through the first quarter the Panthers broke through at the 10:37 mark. Nolting found Young cutting in front of the crease before the Canadian provided a beautiful behind-the-back finish. On the next possession, Nolting notched the first goal of his career to make it 6-2 with over nine minutes left in the half.

However, the Blue Devils scored the next four goals before Stinson and Robinson scored in a nine-second span to make it 10-4. Duke, then, recorded its second six-goal run before Young notched his second goal on the evening for his fifth multi-goal performance in the Purple & White.

Snyder’s fourth-quarter goal was sandwiched by Duke goals as the home team claimed an 18-6 victory.

The Panthers return to action on Tuesday at Georgetown with a 3:00 p.m. opening face-off in the nation’s capital.