Thistle leads HPU MLAX to record-breaking 20-6 win over VMI

• Senior Matt Thistle broke the program single-game scoring record with nine points (5g, 4a).
• Senior Dan Lomas added five points as 17 different Panthers notched a point in the victory.
• High Point is on a five-game winning streak, the second longest in school history.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Senior Matt Thistle broke the High Point University men’s lacrosse team’s single-game scoring record in the first half to lead the team to a 20-6 victory over VMI on Senior Day in Vert Stadium.

The Panthers (9-5, 5-2) earned their fifth straight win in style breaking the school’s single-game goals (20) and points (36). Meanwhile, the loss drops VMI to 2-14 and 0-7 in SoCon action.

“I thought our guys played hard for 60 minutes today,” head coach Jon Torpey said. “I have a lot of respect for VMI’s coach John Bisner and I think’s he’s one of the best young coaches in the country and they play hard. Our guys really matched their intensity and it was great to be able to get a lot of guys in there and see them play.”

Thistle racked up nine points to break a program-record he previously held along with junior Michael LeClair (seven points). Playing his final regular season game on the Vert Stadium turf, the attackman tied his career high in goals (five) while adding a season-high four assists.

Alongside Thistle in the HPU attack, senior Dan Lomas produced his first career multi-assist game with two assists to go with three goals. Rounding out the trio, LeClair tallied two goals and an assist to extend his scoring streak to 40 games.

LeClair and Thistle have each scored 52 points on the season – one shy of the HPU record that they share.

In goal, freshman Tim Troutner Jr. – six saves in the first half – and redshirt-junior Matt Siegmund – a career-high seven saves in the second – combined for the win. In front of the net-minders, senior Zack Price made the most of his last home game causing three turnovers and grabbing four ground balls while scoring his first goal of the season.

Besides Price, freshman Ryan McLaughlin and redshirt-junior Dan Murray tallied their first goals of the season. Similarly, junior Mick Horrocks, sophomore Michael Lanahan and freshman Michael Fraser earned their first assists of 2016.

In total, 17 different Panthers recorded a point in the contest. Junior Dallas Bridle notched two goals while freshman Quin Eissler netted his second and third goals of the season.

At the face-off ‘X’ senior Jamie Piluso went 11-14 with four ground balls while freshmen Alex Woodall (4-10) and Brandon Savoie (2-5) combined for three grounders. Twenty-four different Panthers picked up a ground ball as HPU posted a +9 margin (37-28).

From the midfield, sophomore T Moyer and freshman Jake Schleppy each recorded a goal and an assist. Meanwhile, sophomore Connor Robinson rounded out the goal-scoring with one marker as senior Tyler Cook (1a), junior Nick Basile (1a) and sophomore Jason Ashwood (2a) each registered assists.

HPU opened the game on an 11-0 run through the first 20 minutes of action. LeClair kicked off the scoring with a goal, but it was the Thistle and Lomas show after that as the duo combined for seven goals and four assists in the run.

VMI broke the shutout at the 4:15 mark in the second quarter before Thistle tallied his eighth point with a goal at two minutes later to make it 12-1 (1:52). Wesley Sanders answered for VMI right before the break to cut the deficit to 10 (12-2).

Out of the break, High Point beautifully executed in the man-up to get Murray his first goal of the season (13-2, 14:42). From there neither team scored for 12 minutes before Bridle and Moyer notched goals in the final two minutes of the frame to make it 15-2.

Schleppy, then, scored an early four-quarter goal to give the Panthers a 14-point margin (16-2). However, the Keydets tallied back-to-back markers to cut it to 16-4 with 7:04 to play.

But the Panthers outscored the visitors 4-2 the rest of the way as the team cruised to a 20-6 victory.

The Purple & White are off to Richmond, Va. to play No. 2-seeded Richmond in the SoCon Tournament on Thursday at 5 p.m.