CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Jacksonville University men's lacrosse team defeated High Point 10-9, reeling off a spree of goals in the fourth to pull away, holding off a late HPU run to seal victory at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
The Numbers
The Dolphins' defensive effort was again strong, led by
Tucker Garrity, who caused three turnovers and picked up four ground balls, leading the team in both categories. Three different JU players finished with four ground balls, as
Chris Darminio and
Nathan Kapp joined Garrity for the team lead.
Ryan Della Rocco was steady in the game, making 10 saves. Della Rocco's nine goals allowed marked the fourth game this season in which he kept the opposing attack in single digits.
Offensively, JU finished with eight different goal scorers in a total team effort.
Nicky Brown and
Ibrahim Pio scored two each, while
Jacob Greiner,
Sam Chase,
Jack Taylor,
Anthony Caputo,
William Krupsky and
Gavin Angell all contributed with one goal each.
How It Happened
A defensive battle ensued from the opening faceoff as High Point scored first in the opening quarter, taking a 2-1 lead into the second half, bookending
Nicky Brown's goal in the final minute of the first quarter.
In the second, the Dolphins tied the game at 2-2 with a goal by
Sam Chase before
Gavin Angell gave Jacksonville the lead at the 11:33 mark. High Point responded with one of their own six minutes later, but a pair of goals from
Anthony Caputo (4:21) and
Ibrahim Pio (2:44) would move the JU lead to 5-3 at the halftime break.
An evenly matched third quarter began with two straight High Point goals in the first six minutes before JU began a game-winning run with five unanswered, sparked by two straight in the third by
William Krupsky (06:16) and Pio's second of the game (2:02).
Jacob Greiner would notch the tenth and final goal for the Dolphins with 5:55 remaining in the game, giving JU enough cushion to hold off a four-goal run by High Point. In the game's final moments, High Point put the potential tying shot on goal with eight seconds remaining, but the Dolphin defense held firm until the final whistle to seal the victory.
Head Coach John Galloway
"I am proud of our group for finding a way against an incredibly talented High Point team today. It wasn't pretty, but we had some young guys step up in roles in a heated rivalry that allowed us to pull it out. We have to be very critical of how we handle moments in games, but we are just scratching the surface of the potential of this group. We will continue to pursue the discomfort of growth as we head into a new season: ASUN play."
