Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – John Thompson scored twice, added three assists, and set a pair of program records while guiding the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team to an 8-5 victory over Whittier on a chilly Monday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.

With his three assists, Thompson bumped his total this year to 24, which topped the previous single-season record of 21 set by Zach Hill in 2010. Incredibly, the sophomore also took down the career record after improving his two-year total to 34. That is one more than John Glaser recorded during his four-year career from 2009-12.

Along with John's career day, his cousin Parker Thompson also added a pair of goals for the Captains, while Kyle Pasta scored once and added an assist. Will Geise, Adam Abbate, and Joey Rolando all tacked on a goal as well.

The victory snaps CNU's two-game skid and moves Christopher Newport to 5-4 on the season. Whittier is now 3-5, including 0-2 on its current East Coast swing.

Early in the game, the CNU defense set the tone. Teddy Pekalski caused fits for the Whittier attack throughout the first period, forcing three turnovers while punishing any Poet who entered his space. His final assault helped set up the game's first goal with just over two minutes remaining in the period. After Pekalski dislodged the ball, Pasta helped take control and fed a pass to Abbate, who rocketed home his fourth goal of the year.

With a 1-0 lead entering the second period, the Captain defense struggled a bit to regain its footing in the new stanza. Jonathan Kassity scored two quick goals in a four-minute span to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. Despite the surge, CNU never relented. Eventually, Andy McGregor stoned Whittier's third shot of the period before his offense went to work.

At 10:16, Parker Thompson gained a little breathing room and ripped a bullet to the back of the net, which evened the game at two. Five seconds later, his cousin followed suit. After Ari Elgort won the ensuing faceoff with ease, the senior stormed right into the Whittier zone and dished to John, who tacked on his first goal of the game with a laser at 10:11.

After the game settled down for a brief moment, John Thompson came through again. With just over six minutes left in the half, the sophomore sensation curled around the zone, found some space, and uncorked a tracer, which gave the hosts a 4-2 lead heading into the break.

Following halftime, the game became even more physical. Both teams earned man-up situations, but the defenses clamped down. Brenden Dwyer caused a big turnover for the Captains, but Jon Cairone came through with several clutch saves for the Poets, including an incredible stop on a rocket to the chest.

With their goalie doing his job, Whittier's attack struck again with 5:31 left in the third to pull back within one at 4-3. Once again, CNU immediately answered. John Thompson assisted on a man-up goal by Pasta at 2:56 before setting up Parker for a last-second score just before the clock expired in the third.

Holding a 6-3 lead heading into the final frame, the Captains kept the pressure on. After having a letdown in the fourth quarter yesterday, the squad refused to let history repeat itself. McGregor came through with the biggest play of the period at the 10-minute mark.

Following a CNU turnover, the Poets broke free. After collecting the loose ball, Maxwell Jones went sprinting into the Christopher Newport zone. Facing a one-on-one at point-blank range, McGregor stood tall and stoned the shot. Although the visitors were able to find an opening over a minute later to pull within two at 6-4, the Captains never let them get any closer.

At 7:15, with a two-man advantage, Geise took an assist from John Thompson and scored his sixth goal of the year. Two minutes later, Rolando added the final nail, ripping a one-timer through the Poet defense on the way to an 8-4 lead.

Although Whittier was able to add a late goal during the final few minutes of action, CNU eased into the victory. Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot the visitors, 42-30, and held a 32-27 edge in ground balls. The Poets led the way in faceoffs, winning 11 of the 17 battles. Cairone also notched a game-high 10 saves for Whittier, while McGregor had eight for the Captains.

Christopher Newport will return to action next Monday when the squad travels to St. Mary's (Md.) for a 1 p.m. battle. That contest will kick off a stretch of seven-straight road games to cap off the regular season for the Captains.

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