High Point MLAX Rides Hot Start to 15-7 Triumph at Furman

• Sophomore Davis Sampere dominated going 16-of-23 on face-offs with a career-high 12 ground balls while adding the first two goals of his career as well as an assist.
• HPU scored the game’s first five goals holding Furman scoreless for the first 17 minutes and never let the Paladins get any closer than four the rest of the way.
• Freshman Asher Nolting tied a career high with four assists to go with two goals in the contest.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The High Point University men’s lacrosse team jumped out to a 5-0 lead early in the second quarter and cruised to a 15-7 victory over Furman on Saturday afternoon in Paladin Stadium.

The Paladins (3-7, 3-1) entered Saturday unbeaten in league play, but couldn’t score in the first 17 minutes as the Panthers (3-7, 3-1) built a five-goal edge. From there, the home team couldn’t cut the deficit any lower than four as HPU used runs of 4-1 and 4-0 to pull away in the final three quarters.

“Today was a total team win,” head coach Jon Torpey said. “Furman is a very well-coached team and we knew we would be in for a battle. Overall, I thought our team did a good job in all facets of the game. We look forward to getting back to work on Monday.”

HPU’s dominance started at the face-off ‘X’ where sophomore Davis Sampere went 16-of-23 while picking up a career-high 12 ground balls. Entering the game with one career point, the Raleigh, N.C. native scored the first two collegiate goals and also tallied an assist.

On the defensive end, junior Tim Troutner Jr. made three first-quarter saves to set the tone. He finished the day with eight stops while senior Zach Tuell made one in reserve.

As he has all season, freshman Asher Nolting led the Panthers’ offensive attack dishing out four assists, which tied a career high, while adding two goals. Recording the first hat trick of his career, senior Peyton Garrett buried three goals including the afternoon’s first goal. Also racking up multiple points, senior Connor Robinson notched two goals and an assist while senior Chris Young recorded two tallies.

The High Point defense didn’t just execute in the six-on-six, but held Furman to a 0-of-6 mark in EMOs and pressured the Paladins into 19 turnovers on the afternoon. Junior Joel Schwarz and freshman Clayton Krol led those efforts recording two ground balls and a caused turnover apiece.

Overall, the Purple & White enjoyed a 29-22 margin on the ground and a 17-of-26 edge at the face-off ‘X.’ Those margins allowed HPU to outshoot Furman 33-23 launching 24 on goal.

Rounding out the scoring for the Panthers, sophomores Dalton Sulver and Ricky Koehler and freshman Koby Russell and Cade Klawinski all recorded goals with Klawinski’s being the first of his career. The last HPU point was an assist by sophomore Nate Carter.

High Point’s first road win of the season gives the team it’s first two-game winning streak and places the Panthers in a tie atop the SoCon standings.

Garrett scored the only goal in the first 10 minutes of action before Sulver, Russell and Nolting joined in to give HPU a 4-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Sampere, then, scored off the opening face-off of the second period before Furman got on the board at the 13:03 mark to make it 5-1.

From there, Robinson, Young (twice) and Sampere scored in a 4-1 spurt to up HPU’s advantage to seven, 9-2, with 7:20 left in the half. Both teams scored one more time before the half as HPU took a 10-3 edge into the break.

After halftime, the Paladins held HPU scoreless for over 12 minutes cutting the lead to 10-5 before Koehler broke the drought at the 2:25 mark of the third. That goal broke open the gates again as Nolting, Robinson and Garrett all scored in the first three minutes of the final frame as the Panthers built a 14-5 lead.

Although Furman scored two more to get within seven, 14-7, Klawinski closed out the scoring with 3:33 to play.

The Panthers return home on Friday, April 13 to host VMI in Vert Stadium at 7:00 p.m.