• Junior Michael LeClair extended his scoring streak to 34 games with two goals and an assist.
• Senior Dan Lomas chipped in with a goal and an assist on the day.
• High Point will play at No. 18 Richmond on Sunday, March 27 at noon.
USAFA, Colo. – The High Point University men’s lacrosse team couldn’t overcome its slow start in a 13-4 setback at Air Force on Saturday.
The Panthers (4-3, 0-1) failed to dent the scoreboard in the first half as the Falcons (6-2, 2-0) built a 6-0 halftime edge. HPU fought back to within four at 8-4 late in the third quarter but couldn’t get any closer as Air Force extended its winning streak to six.
“Credit to Air Force they came out ready to play today and we, unfortunately, took too long to get going,” head coach Jon Torpey said. “We will have a lot to focus on this week as we continue conference play.”
Junior Michael LeClair stretched his scoring streak to 34 games with two goals and an assist on the afternoon. Senior Dan Lomas recorded a goal and an assist while the third attackman, senior Matt Thistle, added an assist.
At the face-off ‘X,’ freshman Alex Woodall went 9-16 (.563) and grabbed a ground ball.
Defensively, sophomore Terrell Sands chipped in with two caused turnovers and four ground balls. Meanwhile, freshman Tim Troutner managed four saves, three ground balls and one of HPU’s 10 caused turnovers on the day.
On the day, Air Force picked up a +4 margin (29-25) on the ground and fired 32 shots compared to just 20 for the Panthers.
The Falcons controlled the first half building a 6-0 lead at the break. During the first 30 minutes the Panthers’ offense could only muster eight shots – four on goal – while turning it over eight times.
Out of the break, Lomas scored a man-up goal off LeClair’s assist to make it 6-1 with 12:23 left in the third. However, Air Force answered with two goals in a 30-second span to stretch its lead to seven (8-1, 10:25).
But LeClair wouldn’t let the Panthers go quietly as he scored back-to-back goals to cut the deficit to five (8-3, 7:15). Bridle, then, extended the run to 3-0 with his goal at the 3:02 mark to send the contest to the final frame with Air Force leading 8-4.
However, the Falcons responded with a 4-0 run in the fourth period to close out the 13-4 victory.
The Purple & White are back on the road on Sunday, March 27 to play at No. 18 Richmond at noon.