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Week 2 of the NCAA lacrosse season is upon us, and the big games are coming this weekend. Friday night kicked it all off in exciting fashion.

EPSTEIN EXPLODES FOR HOPKINS

There were fireworks at Johnny Unitas Stadium when crosstown rivals Johns Hopkins and Towson met Friday night. Joey Epstein, who didn’t record a point in the Blue Jays home opener last weekend, provided plenty of entertainment for the over 3,000 fans in attendance.

Epstein dropped six goals, including five in the second quarter, to help Johns Hopkins pull ahead and pull away for an 18-12 victory over Towson. Garrett Degnon chipped in four goals and two assists in the high-scoring affair.

Degnon scored twice in a back-and-forth first quarter that saw the Blue Jays lead 5-4, but the visitors soon pulled away. Epstein scored five straight goals to start the second quarter, becoming the first Johns Hopkins player with five goals in a quarter since Kyle Marr in 2018. He gave his team a 12-6 halftime lead in the process.

Johns Hopkins led by as many as seven goals in the third quarter, but a five-goal run punctuated by Nick DeMaio and a beautiful swim dodge brought Towson within two goals at the end of the quarter.

With the momentum on the Tigers’ side, Johns Hopkins scored four straight goals in the fourth quarter to pull away. Sophomore Brendan Grimes tallied his third goal to cap the run and highlight a career performance.

Johns Hopkins held a 20-12 advantage on faceoffs and took 49 shots.

NOLTING WINS IT FOR HIGH POINT

Asher Nolting came back for a fifth year to bring High Point back to the NCAA tournament for a second straight year. His mission continued Friday night against Colgate, and he was put to the test quickly after his Panthers dropped their season opener to Maryland last weekend.

High Point trailed early in the first quarter but roared back to force overtime, when Nolting took his defender around X to score the game-winner from the left side of the crease, clinching an 11-10 win.

Brian Minicus had two goals in the first quarter, helping Colgate lead 5-3. Nolting responded with two goals in the second quarter, part of a five-goal run that gave the Panthers an 8-6 lead at halftime.

Neither team led by more than a goal in the second half, with Colgate going head 10-9 with 6:25 left. With 19 seconds remaining, Jaxson Lamb found the equalizer on a quick shot from the hip. With 3:07 left in the first overtime period, Nolting took matters into his own hands, scoring the game-winner and getting mobbed by his teammates.

GRAY SHINES FOR UNC

When lacrosse fans heard that Tewaaraton Award finalist and North Carolina goal scorer Chris Gray was returning for another season of college lacrosse, visions of highlight-reel goals and cross-field skip passes danced in their heads.

The dreams became a reality for Tar Heels fans on Friday night, as Gray turned in an eight-point performance to help North Carolina edge past a tough test from Richmond by a score of 13-9. Gray finished with four goals and four assists, while Jacob Kelly had three goals and two assists for the Tar Heels.

North Carolina jumped out to a 4-0 lead midway through the first quarter, but Richmond responded with six of the next seven goals to take a 6-5 lead into halftime. Ryan Dunn had two goals, and Ryan Lanchbury chipped in three assists in the Richmond run.

With the game tied at 8, North Carolina scored three consecutive goals courtesy of Kelly, Cole Herbert and Gray to gain breathing room in the third quarter. Gray, though, had two goals in the final period to seal the victory. The Tar Heels outshot the Spiders 58-24 on the night.

DUKE PUSHES PAST MANHATTAN

Duke has survived its first three tests in February — a month that in past years has proven daunting for John Danowski’s Blue Devils. Manhattan provided another test, and Duke was slow to gain momentum, but the star-studded home team came alive at Koskinen Stadium.

Dyson Williams poured in four goals to help Duke shake off a slow start and pull away for a 17-7 victory to move to 3-0 on the season. The Blue Devils delivered a balanced offensive performance, with 10 goal scorers shouldering the load. Leading scorer Brennan O’Neill needed just an assist in this win.

Kyle Gucwa scored the first two goals for Manhattan, which led 2-1 after one quarter thanks to six saves from goalie Brendan Krebs, who finished with 19 total saves. Duke answered with six straight goals to take a 7-3 lead at the half.

The Blue Devils used a five-goal third-quarter run to blow the game open and seal the victory.

HOW THE NIKE/USAL TOP 20 FARED

No. 3 Duke defeated Manhattan 17-7
No. 6 North Carolina defeated Richmond 13-9
No. 15 Johns Hopkins defeated Towson 18-12

FULL SCOREBOARD

High Point 11, Colgate 10 (OT)