Acra’s Career Day Powers HPU MLAX Panthers Past St. Bonaventure 13-8

Site: High Point, N.C. (Vert Stadium)
Score: High Point 13, St. Bonaventure 8
Records: High Point (2-5), St. Bonaventure (0-5)
Next HPU Event: Saturday, March 7, — at UMBC (Baltimore, Md.)

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s lacrosse team (2-5) was victorious over St. Bonaventure 13-8 on Monday night (March 2.). Taylor Acra scored a career-high three goals and added an assist in the High Point win. Acra now has four goals on the season. Asher Nolting finished with a game-high five points in the winning effort.

“I am proud of the guys for the win,” head coach Jon Torpey said. “I want to recognize Randy Mearns what that guy has done, building that program while his wife is battling cancer. I found out today before the game that she is cancer-free, it is terrific news he is one of the best guys in the sport, one of the best people in the sport. I could not be happier for him and his program, they are doing an excellent job building that thing. I think back to us building a program with all the hurdles and obstacles we had to overcome, for him to build a program and go through that with his family, it is incredibly admirable. I have nothing but respect for the guy and his program they competed incredibly hard tonight. This is a great game for us every year.”

High Point came out ready to play, with Acra scoring just a minute and twelve seconds into the game, followed by a goal from redshirt freshman Devon Buckshot just seven seconds later. Acra finished with a hat trick in the first quarter. Nolting assisted on Buckshot’s first goal, continuing the streak that has seen him score a point in all 37 career games he has played in at HPU.

St. Bonaventure got on the board with 9:30 left in the first quarter to cut the Panthers’ lead to four (5-1). Buckshot added his second goal of the game before Acra’s third goal gave High Point the 7-1 lead. St. Bonaventure added one more to make it 7-2 game after one.

It took just over 10 minutes for either team to score in the second when the Bonnies found the back of the net to make it a 7-3 game. The Panthers were held scoreless, while goalie Parker Green made three saves in the quarter.

The Panthers came out of the gate in the second half similarly to the first, with junior defender Chris Price scoring a long stick goal just 35 seconds into the half. High Point extended its lead back to six on a goal from junior Colin Clothier with 8:37 left in the third. The Bonnies responded with a score of their own less than two minutes later. Senior Dalton Sulver got in on the scoring action, scoring his seventh goal of the season to give High Point the 10-4 lead.

High Point built off of the momentum from the third quarter by opening up the fourth with two quick goals. Freshman Tyler Hendrycks scored his eleventh goal of the season, he was assisted by Jake Schleppy. Hendrycks put HPU up 11-4. With 12:23 remaining Nolting scored his first goal of the night extending his goal streak to 22 games with 54 goals scored during this stretch. The Bonnies scored three in a row to make it 12-7 game. With 3:26 left to play, Antonio Arcona made a save and found an open Price at midfield on the clear. Price ran down the field towards the goal and passed to Caison Dillion who scored. Dillion has now scored goals in back to back contests for the purple and white.

All three High Point goalies Parker Green, Antonio Arcona and Griffin Basile saw action in tonight’s game. Green recorded six saves and Arcona made three saves on the evening.

Up Next: High Point heads back on the road this weekend to Baltimore, Md. to play UMBC on Saturday (March 7) before returning to Vert Stadium the following Friday (March 13) to host Virginia Military Institute.