HPU MLAX Panthers push Terrapins, fall 15-10

• Senior Dan Lomas led the Panthers’ offense with four goals and an assist on the day.
• Freshman Tim Troutner made his collegiate debut in goal making 16 saves and causing two turnovers.
• Junior Michael LeClair (3 goals) and senior Matt Thistle (3 assists) added three points apiece for High Point.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The High Point University men’s lacrosse team built a 6-3 first-half lead, but couldn’t hold on as No. 4 Maryland earned a 15-10 win in College Park, Md. on Saturday afternoon.

Box Score PDF

Senior Dan Lomas scored two goals to anchor the offense while freshman Tim Troutner made 10 saves in the first 30 minutes as the Panthers (0-3) built a 6-3 advantage. However, the Terrapins (1-0) scored right before the half and then added 11 second-half tallies to earn the victory.

“I really admired the way our guys competed today,” head coach Jon Torpey said. “If a few things went our way in the second half, the game could have been a little different. We will continue to work hard and make sure to grow from this experience.”

Lomas finished the afternoon with four goals and an assist while junior Michael LeClair posted a hat trick with three goals. Meanwhile, senior Matt Thistle rounded out the attackmen with three assists.

In goal, Troutner finished with 16 saves, five ground balls and two caused turnovers. Fellow freshman and St. Mary’s high school alum, Alex Woodall went 12-of-25 in the face-off circle and grabbed four ground balls while scoring his first career goal.

Offensively, sophomore T Moyer and junior Dallas Bridle scored the team’s other two goals as sophomore Jason Ashwood earned his first assist of the year. On the face-off wing, redshirt-senior Adam Seal chipped in with a team-best six ground balls to lead HPU to a 29-27 edge.

Despite the Panthers earning the advantage in ground balls, the Terrapins fired off 50 shots compared to HPU’s 26 shot attempts.

The Terrapins jumped out to a 2-0 lead scoring a man-up goal on their first possession before adding a second goal four minutes later. However, Troutner got it going in the net stopping the six shots in the frame. LeClair scored HPU’s first goal working pick-and-roll from the behind the net with Thistle (2-1, 6:35). On the next possession, Thistle found Lomas for a backhanded goal to knot the score at 2-all at the 3:07 mark.

LeClair opened the scoring in the second quarter with an unassisted tally to give the Purple & White their first lead of the afternoon (3-2, 14:03). Maryland answered at the 10:57 mark to even the contest at 3-3. But the Panthers stormed back as Bridle and Moyer scored before Lomas added a man-up goal to give High Point a 6-3 edge with 1:11 left until halftime. The Terps fought back with a goal with 23 seconds left to make it 6-4. In the process, HPU was called for a 2-minute unsportsmanlike penalty to allow the home team to open the second half with an EMO.

Out of halftime, the Terrapins scored back-to-back goals in three minutes to even the score at 6-6 with 12:53 to go. Three minutes later Lomas put the Panthers back on top, but UMD answered 45 seconds later to make it 7-all. From there, the home team made it a 3-0 run to build a 9-7 advantage with a minute remaining in the third period. Then, Woodall took the ensuing face-off and found the back of the net for a man-down tally (9-8, 1:02). However, Maryland scored with four seconds left in the quarter to move to the final frame up 11-9.

Neither team scored in the first five minutes of the fourth before the Terrapins scored to up the lead to 12-9 with 9:30 to play. LeClair responded with his third goal of the afternoon (12-10, 6:06). Maryland added three more goals in the final five minutes to close out the 15-10 win.

The Panthers are back on the road on Tuesday to take on No. 14 Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. at 7 p.m.