SAVANNAH, GA. — The Jacksonville University men's lacrosse team held on for victory, defeating High Point 11-9 in a neutral site matchup at Memorial Field in Savannah, Ga.

How It Happened
Jacksonville struck quickly, coming out of the gates hot, scoring the first three goals of the game. Daylin John-Hill scored the first two before Drew Rippeon took the faceoff and fed Nicky Brown to give JU a 3-0 lead with 10:30 left in the opening quarter.

High Point answered with two straight, and answered a second goal from Brown to tighten things at 4-3. Both sides dug in defensively for the following 4:31 of the first quarter, giving JU a one-goal lead going into the second quarter.

Both sides traded goals in the second half, with Brown and Jack Taylor highlighting the second quarter offensively. The two sides finished the opening half with a 7-6 Dolphin lead, with High Point scoring in the final moments of the first half.

Jacksonville was able to stretch the lead to two in the fourth, as Ryan Della Rocco and the defensive unit held them in check for much of the third quarter, protecting the slim lead heading into the final 15 minutes.

The defense started to string together multiple stops, holding High Point without a score for the first 14 minutes of the fourth quarter. Ethan LaMond and John-Hill added a pair of goals to give an 11-7 cushion late in the game.

Two Jacksonville penalties opened the door for High Point as the Panthers scored twice in the final minute, before a final stop for JU sealed the 11-9 victory.

The Numbers

• John-Hill and Brown finished tied for the team-lead in goals, with Brown earning three assists to lead the team with seven points.
• Lucas Fraser finished with a team-high 6 ground balls in the game.
• It was the third time this season and second straight game that Jacksonville has held a team to single-digit scoring.
• It was the fifth straight win for JU, the fourth consecutive season the Dolphins have won five or more in a row.

Head Coach John Galloway
"I  am really proud of our team for finding a way to win on a quick day trip to Savannah. We didn't have our best stuff out of the gate defensively but Ryan Della Rocco was fantastic for all four quarters. 

Offensively Nicky Brown and Daylin John-Hill were huge catalysts of being able to give us a big enough lead to hold off their rally at the end of the game. I am also really proud of Jackson Intrieri as he continues to shine in a new role.

We won't be able to celebrate this one long as we have a daunting challenge ahead next Sunday against one of the best teams in the country in North Carolina. We will get back to work tomorrow to address our issues and make sure we are as prepared as possible for that challenge."

Next Up
Jacksonville will face its third top-10 ranked program this season, heading to Chapel Hill, NC to face sixth-ranked North Carolina on Sunday (March 16th) at 2:00pm.