HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville men's lacrosse team ended its inaugural home slate with a victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating visiting Lees-McRae 10-9 at Charger Park. The Chargers improve to 3-7 on the season, while the Bobcats slip to 2-11.
 
Collin Wilcox scored four times and added an assist for a five-point day, while both Kevin Coppinger (three goals, one assist) and James Cox (two goals, two assists) both had four-point showings.
 
Wilcox – who now has 11 goals and five assists on the season – put the Chargers on the board first with a strike just 59 seconds into the contest, and the score remained 1-0 until Cox tallied at the 8:41 mark of the first quarter to put the hosts in front by a pair.
 
The visitors then scored six of the next eight goals to go in front 6-4 with just 2:38 left until the half, but Coppinger scored two of his goals in the final two minutes to knot the contest at 6-6 at the break.
 
Coppinger padded his team lead in both goals and points, moving his season goal total to 17 to also feature 26 points.
 
Opening the scoring in the third quarter was Cox whose tally at the 12:46 mark of the quarter was followed up quickly by a Wilcox marker just 12 seconds later, and Wilcox added another score with 8:51 remaining to give UAH a 9-6 advantage.
 
After the Bobcats scored late in the quarter, Coppinger produced an answer to make it a 10-7 game, and that goal would eventually represent the winning score as Lees-McRae would score once more before the expiration of the third while also owning the only goal of the fourth.
 
Cox also led the team in ground balls as he picked up seven, while John Forrest Ruble won six face offs.
 
Michl McNeil earned the win in the cage for the Chargers, stopping 13 shots.
 
UAH will now wrap up the 2016 campaign on the road, traveling to Shorter on April 23 and closing out the year on April 30 at Emmanuel College.