Vermont Tops Furman in OT Thriller to Start 2017 Season
Thu Feb 2 2017 | Matt Hamilton | College
College Men
PHOTO COURTESY OF VERMONT ATHLETICS
Cam Milligan scored four goals and added four assists, feeding Braiden Davis for the game-winner in overtime, to lift Vermont to a 13-12 win at Furman in the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse season opener Thursday.
It took just one game for NCAA men's lacrosse fans to get a thriller. Braiden Davis scored in overtime to lift Vermont to a 13-12 win at Furman in the Division I opener Thursday.
Not only was it the first men’s game of the season, but the Catamounts also came away with the win in coach Chris Feifs’ debut. Feifs joined the staff this summer from North Carolina, where he was an assistant for seven years. He replaced Ryan Curtis.
Fans were treated to a high-scoring affair on the campus of Furman in Greenville, S.C. The Paladins led 9-7 at halftime after scoring five goals in the second quarter.
Graham Dabbs led all scorers in the first half with three goals. It was his first appearance for the Paladins since his freshman year in 2014.
Vermont’s Cam Milligan came alive in the second half, notching two goals and adding two assists to help the Catamounts tie the game. Down 11-9 in the fourth quarter, Milligan’s two goals knotted the score with 5:38 remaining.
Furman scored what could have been the deciding goal with 35 seconds left, when William Holcomb beat Vermont goalie John Kaplan. However, the Catamounts won the ensuing faceoff, called a timeout and Milligan found freshman Ben French for the game-tying goal with 13 second left in regulation.
It was Milligan again who set up his teammate in overtime, drawing a double team and dishing it off to Braiden Davis, who ripped it past Reilly McDermott to give Vermont the win.
Milligan finished with four goals and four assists. French scored four goals and doled out two assists in his collegiate debut.
Furman outshot Vermont 38-24 in the game, won the faceoff battle 15-13 and picked up 25 ground balls to Vermont’s 22.
Vermont will be back in action on Saturday, when it travels to Mercer. Furman will face Ohio St. in Columbus on Sunday.
