LEXINGTON, Va. - Facing the SoCon preseason favorite and one of the nation's top teams, the VMI lacrosse team fell by an 18-9 score to No. 12 High Point on a windy Friday night at Drill Field No. 2.

The Panthers (7-1, 1-0) were dominant from the start by picking up a 2-0 lead 1:10 into the game and went on to build a 6-1 lead by the end of the opening period. The High Point advantage would balloon to 11-2 by the half despite VMI's best efforts and goals from freshman Aidan Riley and Donald Proper. The goal was Riley's third of the year after he picked up two last weekend.

The Keydets (3-3, 0-2) matched High Point's play in the second half as both teams scored seven goals apiece over the final two periods. Johnny Daniel and Josh Bass led the way with two goals each and Proper added another late in the game. Ryan Perouty and Jon Fant were also credited with goals during the match, while Daniel, John O'Donnell and Timothy Barile each had an assist.

High Point proved dominant on faceoffs as the Panthers took 27 of 30 attempts and allowed limited opportunities for the Keydets to gain possession following scores. Asher Nolting led the way with five goals for the Panthers while Chris Young added three. Ben Baker, Dalton Sulver and Hunter Vines also had a pair of goals throughout.

The Keydets return to action next Saturday with Southern Conference home game against Mercer slated for a noon at Drill Field No. 2.