Live Stats | Live Video | Game Notes | Purchase Tickets

HIGH POINT, NC. – The High Point University men's lacrosse team will take on Robert Morris on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Vert Stadium in search of a second straight victory.
 
The Panthers (2-3) are coming off a 13-5 win over Sacred Heart on Feb. 21 and will be looking for their first back-to-back triumphs of the season.  On the other hand, Robert Morris (0-3) will be trying to snap their season-opening three-game skid.
 
Last Time Out:
HPU jumped out to a 6-0 lead through the first 18 minutes of play with six different players tallying goals.  After that run, the HPU defense, led by seniors Pat Farrell and Austin Geisler (10 saves), never let the Pioneers (0-1) get any closer than four goals.
 
Farrell set program record with eight caused turnovers. The performance doubled HPU's previous record of four caused turnovers in a game. It is also the most by an individual in a single game nationally this season.
 
Offensively, the Panthers had 13 different players register a point. Junior Matt Thistle led the way with four points.  Junior Dan Lomas and freshman Connor Robinson were right behind Thistle as both players posted two goals and one assist.
 
Redshirt-juniors Brad James and Richard Byrd each tallied two points. It was Byrd's first multi-point game of his career.
 
Overall, 10 different players scored goals with senior Hunter Edens, junior Jamie Piluso, and freshman Jason Ashwood each posted their first goals of the year.
 
HPU earned a +14 (39-25) margin in ground balls and caused 18 of the Pioneers' 27 turnovers. The Purple & White got off 44 shots with 28 of them on goal (64 percent). On the other hand, Sacred Heart got off 22 shots with 15 on goal (68 percent).
 
A Look at Robert Morris:
The Colonials dropped their third consecutive game to open the season with an 11-10 setback at Detroit on Saturday, Feb. 21 despite outshooting the Titans 51-32 in the contest. Junior James Rahe led RMU with four points (1g, 3a) while freshman Carter Yepsen posted three goals.
 
Rahe is pacing RMU with 10 points (5 g, 5 a) on the season. Junior Luke Laszkiewicz is tied for the team lead with five goals after posting 22 during his sophomore year. A third junior, Eric Rankel, is coming off a 35-point season in 2014 and has four points this year. The trio was responsible for over 50 percent of the team's points in last spring, but the team has shown more balance in 2015.
 
Redshirt-junior Eric Whales and Yepsen have helped make the RMU offense more diverse. Whales has seven points (2g. 5a) already this season and Yepsen has added four goals.
 
Redshirt-junior Chris Barney is the team's main faceoff specialist going 28-of-69 (.406 percent) in the circle. Freshman Zachary Bryant leads the team with four caused turnovers and has nine ground balls on the year.
 
Freshman Chase Rose is the team's goalie. The rookie is averaging 11.23 goals against and 11.33 saves per game while leading the squad with 14 ground balls in his first three games.
 
The Colonials were picked to finish fifth in the Northeast Conference after finishing last season with a 5-9 record.
 
Panther Notes:
• Saturday will be the first ever meeting between the Panthers and the Colonials.
 
• HPU will be playing an opponent from the Northeast Conference for the third straight weekend. The Panthers fell 12-11 at St. Joe's on Feb. 14 and beat Sacred Heart 13-5 on Feb. 21.
 
• Senior Pat Farrell had a record-setting day against Sacred Heart. The defenseman caused a program record eight turnovers and collected two ground balls. He has 12 caused turnovers on the year after leading the team last season with 16.

• Junior Dan Lomas was named the the 2015 Tewaaraton Award watch list on Thursday evening. He is the first Panther to be named on the list in the program's history. 
 
• Lomas has the 11th longest point streak in the country and enters the season with at least one point in 31 games.  Matt Thistle has posted at least one point in 20 consecutive outings.
 
• Lomas has the third longest goal-scoring streak in the nation with at least one goal in each of his last 22 games.
 
• Redshirt-senior Austin Geisler made 10 saves against Sacred Heart to hold the Pioneers to five goals. The lowest allowed in program history.
 
• Junior Jamie Piluso dominated in the face-off circle against UNC, winning 20-of-28 (71 percent). He is 75-of-134 (.560) on the year.
 
• Lomas, junior Matt Thistle and sophomore Michael LeClair combined to score 125 points last season. That makes them the nation's fourth highest scoring returning trio. They have registered 56 through five games this season.
 
Next Up:
The Panthers will be on the road the next two weekends with contests at Marist (March 7) and their conference opener at Mercer (March 14).
 
#GoHPU