Previewing High Point’s 2020 men’s college lacrosse schedule

The High Point Panthers are the 11th team in our 2020 men’s college lacrosse schedule preview series and the third team from the SoCon. High Point finished 13-3 overall in 2019 and 6-1 in SoCon play. The Panthers fell to Richmond in the SoCon Championship and missed out on the NCAA Tournament, despite having wins over Duke and Virginia.

Here’s their entire 2020 schedule:

Who’s In?

• Maryland Terrapins (2/1)
• Cornell Big Red (2/22)

Who’s Out?

• St. John’s Red Storm (10-9 L)

Circle These Dates

• 2/1 at Maryland: One negative to High Point’s season was their strength of schedule. Despite beating Duke and Virginia, the Panthers had a disadvantage against them with the rest of their schedule, including against the rest of the SoCon. The Terrapins are back on their schedule after a one-year hiatus. But the last time the two teams met saw Maryland come out with a two-goal win.
• 2/8 vs. Duke: A rematch with the Blue Devils after last year’s upset in Durham is sure to be on this list. But the Panthers won’t have Chris Young at attack, who graduated after a fifth year in 2019, or Tim Troutner in goal. Young put up four goals and one assist in the win while Troutner stopped 19 shots. Asher Nolting and Ben Baker will need to have big performances, while the defense has to be stellar if another upset is in the works.
• 2/22 vs. Cornell (in Baltimore, MD): This will be High Point’s first ever meeting with the Big Red, their second ever game against an Ivy League opponent, as well as their second ever regular season neutral site game. Not only will this game be big in terms of the Panthers’ win-loss record, but it’s also important to see that High Point is able to schedule and play with teams in conferences such as the Ivy League.
• 2/25 at Virginia: The Cornell game starts a brutal four-game stretch over a span of nine days. The Panthers return to Charlottesville for another rematch with Virginia after last season’s upset of the eventual national champions. Trouter’s loss in goal could be a big one in this rematch after he stopped 17 shots in the tight win last year.
• 3/21 at Richmond: High Point got on everyone’s radar thanks to two big upsets in nonconference play. But the most important part of their schedule is SoCon play, which is the easiest way to getting to the NCAA Tournament. But the Panthers haven’t made it to the tourney since 2015, which was High Point’s only SoCon title. Despite beating Richmond in the regular season last year, the Spiders came back and ended High Point’s season in the SoCon title game. They’ve won seven of their 10 overall meetings with High Point since becoming a varsity program in 2014.