WHEN: Saturday, April 7 | 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Paladin Stadium | Greenville, S.C.
RECORDS: High Point (2-7, 2-1), Furman (3-6, 3-0)
SERIES RECORD: High Point leads 3-1
LAST MEETING: Furman won 13-8 on April 15, 2018
VIDEO: ESPN3
LIVE STATS: FurmanPaladins.Com
GAME NOTES: HighPointPanthers.Com
 
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men' lacrosse team is looking to string together victories for the first time this season as it visits Furman for a battle at the top of the Southern Conference standings on Saturday in Paladin Stadium.
 
After battling through tough non-conference schedules, the Panthers and Paladins are a combined 5-1 in SoCon play entering this weekend's key clash. HPU is 2-1 after defeating Jacksonville on Saturday while Furman is 3-0 including two one-goal wins.
 
Quick Hitters
• After recording a career-high four caused turnovers to go with four ground balls against Jacksonville, senior Terrell Sands was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week, selected to the USILA Team of the Week and nominated for Alpha Lacrosse Player of the Week by Inside Lacrosse.
 
• With four assists and a goal against Jacksonville last Saturday, freshman Asher Nolting became the third Panther to record a 20-goal, 20-assist season joining Matt Thistle and Michael LeClair. It's the eighth time a SoCon player has recorded a 20/20 season, the conference has never produced a 30/30 campaign.
 
• Senior Connor Robinson ranks 11th in the nation in goals per game (2.89/game). The highest goals per game average in HPU history belongs to Dan Lomas who tallied 2.80 goals per game as a sophomore in 2014. No player in SoCon history has ever averaged 3.00 goals per game.
 
• Nolting is posting 2.33 assists per game, which ranks 11th in the country and second among freshmen. The single-season SoCon record for assists per game was set by HPU's Michael LeClair's 1.73 average in 2015.
 
• Nolting and Robinson rank first and second in the SoCon in points per game. Sacred Heart's Max Tuttle and Joe Saggese and Albany's Connor Fields and Tehoka Nanticoke are the only other duos duplicating that feat.
 
• Junior Tim Troutner Jr. is finding his rhythm in the cage posting a .581 save percentage during league play. HPU's keeper has 16 saves in each of his last two outings.
 
• Behind Troutner and senior Zach Tuell, the Panthers are sixth in the nation in saves per game averaging 12.67 stops per contest, which is second in the Southern Conference.
 
• Sophomore Davis Sampere is third in the SoCon and 18th in the country in ground balls per game with an average of 5.78 after getting 13 total ground balls last year.
 
• The midfield came alive versus Jacksonville scoring eight of the team's goals led by freshman Koby Russell's first career hat trick. Entering Saturday's game, the team's attackmen had accounted for 67 percent of the goals.
 
• High Point ranks 15th in the nation in ground balls per game after finishing the 2017 season ranked No. 65.
 
• HPU has scored in double figures in each of the last seven contests, which is the longest stretch in the program's history. The team is averaging 12.3 goals per game during that span.
 
Player of the Week and Player of the Month
While Sands is the reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week, Nolting was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Month for March after posting nine goals, 13 assists and 11 ground balls in 2018's third month.
 
Streaking Into the Record Book
• Nolting has scored at least three points in nine consecutive games to begin his career. His current streak is the longest in HPU history.
 
• Nolting is one of four players nationally to score at least three points in every appearance this season. Yale's Ben Reeves, Hartford's Griffin Feiner and Canisius' Connor Kearnan are the other three to accomplish the feat.
 
• Robinson has scored at least one goal in 14 consecutive games dating back to April 1, 2017 at Mercer. The longest streak in program history is Dan Lomas' 23-game stretch with at least one goal.
 
All-Time Series with Furman
The Panthers lead the all-time series with the Paladins by a 3-1 mark. Furman's first win in the series came last season after HPU won the first three by a combined scored of 35-15.
 
Last Time They Met
The Paladins jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held off the Panthers for a 13-8 victory in Vert Stadium. Troutner finished the contest with 10 saves, seven ground balls and four caused turnovers while Robinson and Mitchell Snyder both tallied goals for High Point.
 
All-Time Mark Against the SoCon
High Point is 17-11 all-time in conference play between the Atlantic Sun and Southern Conference. In league away games, HPU has posted a 7-6 mark.
 
Next Up
The Purple & White are back at home on Friday, April 13 to host VMI at 7:00 p.m. in Vert Stadium.
 
#GoHPU