High Point MLAX Falls to Richmond in the SoCon Championship

• Redshirt-senior Chris Young and sophomore Sean Coughlin scored a team-high two goals.
• Sophomore Asher Nolting logged a team-high five points with one goal and four assists.
• Junior Davis Sampere grabbed a SoCon Men’s Lacrosse Championship Game record 15 ground balls.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s lacrosse team fell to Richmond, 7-15, in the Southern Conference (SoCon) Championship game at Vert Stadium on Saturday, May 4.

High Point (13-3, 6-1) won 18 of 26 face-offs and grabbed 40 ground balls, while Richmond (10-6, 5-2) went 8-26 at the face-off ‘X’ and snagged 37 ground balls. The Panthers caused 13 turnovers.

“I think we have the resume to make the NCAA Tournament and I hope the committee sees that,” HPU head coach Jon Torpey said. “Shots weren’t falling for us and I don’t think we did a particularly good job defensively or offensively, but you have days like that. It was a day where everything was falling for them and nothing was falling for us. When you have 13 wins and lead the nation in wins, you should be rewarded so hopefully we will be.”

Junior Davis Sampere won a game-high 17 face-offs and grabbed a SoCon Championship record 15 ground balls. Sampere’s 21 ground balls for the tournament set the SoCon Men’s Lacrosse Championship record.

Redshirt-senior Chris Young and sophomore Sean Coughlin led HPU with two goals, while sophomore Asher Nolting logged a team-high five points with one goal and four assists. Senior goalie Tim Troutner Jr. made 10 saves.

Nolting, Troutner Jr. and Young were selected to the SoCon Men’s Lacrosse Championship All-Tournament Team.

After Richmond took a 1-0 lead, freshman Hunter Vines deflected a pass from Nolting into the goal to tie the game at 1-1 with 12:13 left in the first quarter. Sophomore Sean Coughlin ended a Richmond 3-0 run with two–straight goals with assists coming from junior Ricky Koehler and Nolting. Young tied the game with 4:56 left in the first half off Nolting’s third assist of the game. The Purple & White trailed 4-5 at the break.

High Point won 8-of-11 face-offs and grabbed 20 ground balls in the first half, while Richmond won three face-offs and logged 18 ground balls.

Richmond started the second half with a 4-0 run to take a 4-9 lead, Young stopped the run with his second goal of the game off an assist from Nolting to cut the Spiders’ lead to 5-9. The goal was Young’s 44th of the season, which set the HPU single-season program-record for goals. The Panthers trailed 5-10 when Nolting scored his lone of the game and 44th of the season to tie Young for the program-record. Junior Dalton Sulver scored the seventh goal of the game for HPU.

The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air at 9 p.m. on ESPNU on Sunday, April 4.