Hampton Pirates Fall to Roberts Wesleyan in Historic Debut

HAMPTON, Virginia --  Kendall Sapp scored two goals and had an assist, while Brock Robinson scored once for Hampton University on Saturday, as the Pirates fell 20-3 to visiting Roberts Wesleyan College at Armstrong Stadium.

But the result was almost secondary in what was a historic day.

For the first time since 1981, when head coach Lloyd Carter played at Morgan State, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) fielded a varsity men's lacrosse team -- and Saturday's game marked the first time ever on the NCAA Div. I level.

Dom Cianfarino scored six goals for Roberts Wesleyan (1-0), while Matt Benedict had a goal and six assists with three others had two goals each. Cianfarino scored five of his goals in a first period that saw the Redhawks soar to a 10-0 lead.

Robinson scored the first goal in Pirates history 58 seconds into the second 15-minute period, as he took a feed from Sapp and blasted one from the left side. Sapp then closed the scoring in the second period picking up a loose ball and putting it past goalkeeper Keith Keehn to make the halftime margin 15-2.

Sapp repeated his goal to close out the scoring in the contest with 4:42 left in the game. He finished with two goals and an assist on three shots. Alex Hudson took a team-high four shots for the Pirates.

Alyn Jordan-Bass made eight saves for the Pirates.

The Redhawks outshot Hampton 44-13 in the game, but the Pirates (0-1) outshot them 5-4 in the fourth quarter.

Roberts Wesleyan held a 28-8 edge in shots on goal and 23-4 in faceoffs.

The Pirates will be on the road for their next varsity game to take on Thiel College on Saturday, Feb. 27 in Greenville, Pa. at 2 p.m. For more information on Hampton University lacrosse, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

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COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION