Live Stats | Live Video ($) | Season Prospectus (PDF)

HIGH POINT, N.C. - The High Point University women's lacrosse team begins its quest for a third-straight NCAA Tournament berth on Friday when the Panthers open the season at No. 2 North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

First draw is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Fetzer Field. There is no public video stream for the game, but interested fans can purchase a one month subscription to GoHeels TV for $9.95.

HPU enters its fifth season of competition with a number of post-season goals after capturing a conference championship in each of the first four seasons of the program's existence. Since the program's inception in 2010, HPU has proved to be one of the premier programs in the Southeast. Over those four campaigns, HPU ranks in the top-15 nationally in total wins (54) and winning percentage (.701), and is sixth in conference winning percentage (.929). The Panthers have captured a league championship in each of their first four seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2014.

Last season, the Panthers posted a 14-6 record and went a perfect 7-0 in conference play. The Purple & White swept the Big South Tournament and faced off with Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

HPU returns 17 letter winners and three starters from last season's squad. The Panthers were picked to finish first in the 2015 Big South preseason poll and received seven of a possible eight first place votes.

Senior attack Kendyl Gardner and junior midfielder Emily Meier earned pre-season all-conference honors, while junior Tori Dunster was named the league's preseason co-defensive player of the year.

Dunster appeared in 18 of 20 games last season and posted eight ground balls and a caused turnover during HPU's championship season in 2014. The Greenwich, Conn, native also won eight draw controls on the year and played a critical role on HPU's defensive unit that led the Big South and ranked 10^th in the nation in goals against average (8.05).
 
Gardner is HPU's top returning scorer, as the Severna Park, Md., native ranked fourth on the team with 43 points in 2014. Gardner ranked second on the team with 38 goals and also dished out five assists on the year. She posted three game-winning goals and picked up six ground balls. Gardner posted at least two goals in nine of 10 games against Big South opponents. She enters the 2015 season in fifth place on HPU's all-time scoring list with 82 career goals.
 
Meier saw action in all 20 games in 2015 and ranked fifth on the team with 28 points. The Sayville, N.Y., native also picked up 21 ground balls and buttressed the HPU defensive unit with nine caused turnovers on the year. She posted two or more goals in six games in 2015 and posted three game-winning goals on the year.

A LOOK AT THE NO. 2 TAR HEELS (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
North Carolina was one of two teams picked in the first-place position in the ACC's preseason poll, as both the Tar Heels and the Syracuse Orange received 59 points and four first-place votes. UNC opened the season with a home win over James Madison (13-9) on February 1 and picked up a big road win at then-No. 3/4 Florida (17-11) on Feb. 7 in Gainesville. The Tar Heels are led offensively by sophomore midfielder Alex Moore who paces the team with nine points (8g, 1a) so far in 2015. Preseason all-ACC selection Brittney Coppa has notched six goals and an assist and is tied for the team lead in draw controls (6). Defensively, senior Caileigh Sindall leads the team with three caused turnovers ont he year, while sophomore goalkeeper Caylee Waters has played 90 of a possible 120 minutes in goal this season. She's allowed 16 goals while making 14 saves (10.67 GAA, 46.7 SV%) this season.

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the Triad to host Oregon on Sunday (Feb. 15) at noon. Tickets for the game are $5 and can be purchased by clicking here.