WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 18 | 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Maryland Stadium | College Park, Md.
RECORDS: High Point (1-1, 0-0), Maryland (2-0, 0-0)
SERIES RECORD: Second meeting | Maryland leads 1-0
LAST MEETING: Maryland won 15-10 on Feb. 20, 2016 in College Park, Md.
Video: BTN2Go
Live Stats: UMTerps.Com
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s lacrosse team is fresh off a 9-3 win over Georgetown and will play its second straight DMV foe at No. 3 Maryland on Saturday at 1 p.m. in College Park, Md.
The Panthers (1-1) picked up a huge 9-3 victory over the Hoyas thanks to a 7-0 run in the second half and a stellar performance in goal by sophomore Tim Troutner Jr. On the other side, the Terrapins are off to a 2-0 start to their season with dominant wins over Navy and St. Joseph’s.
Quick Hitters:
• Nick Basile and Chris Young both tallied their first multi-goal games at High Point in the win over Georgetown while freshman Ben Baker was credited with his first collegiate assist.
• Troutner Jr. is off to a blazing start in the cage for the Panthers ranking fifth in the nation in save percentage (.676) and eighth in goals-against average (6.02).
• Last season, Troutner earned his first career start at Maryland with 16 saves, five ground balls and three caused turnovers in the contest.
• Two of the top 12 active career points leaders meet as Matt Rambo (No. 2) and Michael LeClair (No. 12) take opposite sides of the field on Saturday.
• HPU is 2-10 all-time against ranked opponents with both of the wins coming in overtime (No. 20 Richmond ’15 and No. 10 Virginia ’16).
• With the graduation of Dan Lomas and Matt Thistle balance is key for the HPU offense. Through the first two games, the midfielders have accounted for 12 points while the attack has 10. Whereas after two contests in 2016, the attack had 18 and midfield had seven.
• Maryland is ranked No. 3 in the Coaches Poll and No. 2 in the media poll making the Terrapins HPU’s fifth top-5 opponent. The Panthers have led or been tied in the second half in two of their previous meetings with a top-5 foe. Meanwhile, HPU is 1-8 against top-10 opponents after winning at Virginia last year.
• In just its third year of existence, the Southern Conference has picked up five wins over top-20 non-conference opponents. However, the highest-ranked team to lose to a SoCon team was No. 9 Duke to Richmond during March of 2016.
LeClair’s Streak
• As a freshman, LeClair posted a point in three of his first seven games, but has scored in every one since then (43 straight).
• The streak is the longest in HPU history passing Lomas’ streak (32) and is the second-longest active streak nationally.
1) Ian MacKay, Vermont, – 46 games
2) Michael LeClair, High Point – 43 games
3) Connor Cannizarro, Denver – 42 games
4) Matt Rambo, Maryland – 41 games
5) Jack Brucker, Duke – 40 games
Justin Guterding, Duke – 40 games
• LeClair extended his streak with two goals and an assist in HPU’s win over Georgetown on Feb. 14.
Three Straight Nine-Win Seasons
High Point is one of 12 programs in the nation to win at least nine games in each of the past three years. The Panthers join the likes of Albany, Army, Denver, Duke, Fairfield, Maryland, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Saint Joseph’s, Syracuse and Yale. During the last three seasons the Panthers have won 29 of their 48 contests (.604), which gives them the 18th-best winning percentage in the nation during the time.
All-Time Series with Maryland
HPU led 6-4 at the half at Maryland last season before the Terrapins finished the contest on an 11-4 run after the break to earn a 15-10 win.
All-Time against the Big Ten Conference
HPU is 1-1 against current members of the Big Ten, however, when it beat Michigan in 2013, Big Ten hadn’t been formed. The last time the Panthers took the field against a Big Ten opponent was the setback to Maryland last February.
Next Up
The Panthers are back at home next Saturday when they host St. John’s in Vert Stadium at noon.