Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – In a hard-fought battle that came down to the last few ticks on the clock, Mary Washington snuck past the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team on a last-second goal by Paul Tunick, which capped off a 10-9 victory for the Eagles at Captains Turf Field on a frosty Saturday afternoon.

John Thompson scored three times and added an assist to pace the CNU attack, while Alex Barber chipped in with two goals to help round out the offense. Unfortunately, the Captains were undone by a stout Mary Washington defense and Tunick's clutch goal with five seconds left in regulation.

The setback snaps Christopher Newport's two-game roll and drops the squad to 2-2 on the season. Mary Washington now sits at 3-1 on the year.

After a goal by Aaron Chrzaszcz gave the Captains an 8-7 lead with 10 minutes left in the game, Mary Washington mounted a comeback. Billy Kelly and Tunick added back-to-back goals during a one-minute surge that gave the visitors a 9-8 lead. Unfazed by the onslaught, Christopher Newport shot right back.

With just under eight minutes remaining in regulation, Kyle Pasta fed a perfect pass to Thompson, who unloaded a tracer that cut right through the UMW defense and evened the game at nine with 7:49 remaining on the clock.

From there, the defenses settled in. Brad Picciolo and Matt Stettler each forced turnovers for the Captains, while Zack Del Grosso stoned a pair of CNU bullets to keep the game knotted. His final save, which came with 43 seconds on the clock, gave the visitors one last shot as Mary Washington's attack went storming up the field.

After holding the ball just long enough to ensure they had the last shot, the Eagles gave the ball to Tunick. With a quick move just outside of the zone, he created enough space to gain some breathing room and sneak a one-timer past Andy McGregor to seal the one-goal victory.

Despite the ending, McGregor was simply sensational in goal for the Captains. The senior stalwart finished the game with 13 saves, including several crucial stops on clean looks by the Eagles. Del Grosso wrapped up the game with eight saves for UMW.

Early in the game, Mary Washington proved to be the aggressor as the visitors opened the scoring with the lone goal of the first period before driving home their second tally just 55 seconds into the second stanza. Despite the early stumbles, the CNU attack regained its footing before the period was out. Barber came through with the team's first goal of the game off a pass from Billy Crist, and after UMW answered, he came right back with another rocket to pull CNU within one at 3-2.

Following Barber's second score, Will Geise added the equalizer just 22 seconds later on a man-up situation off an assist by Chrzaszcz, which evened the game at three heading into halftime.

After the break, Mary Washington looked refreshed and grabbed some wiggle room with a strong performance in the third. Following an early goal by Sean Dacey, Thompson retied the game with a rocket, but the Eagles responded. John Bohlinger and Luke Dick added consecutive scores during a 55-second spurt near the end of the frame to give UMW a 6-4 lead heading into the fourth.

Needing a quick score to get back in the game, Ari Elgort provided exactly what the Captains needed. The senior midfielder won the opening faceoff clean, booked it into the zone, and fired a laser into the back of the net in an incredible six-second run. Although the Eagles quickly responded and regained their two-goal edge, CNU fired back.

At the 12-minute mark, Gregory Limon kicked off a three-goal streak by the Captains with an incredible move. Driving hard into the zone on the nearside of the field, he dodged a defender, laid out, and fired an off-balance bullet past Del Grosso to pull CNU back within one at 7-6.

After Elgort won the ensuing faceoff, the Christopher Newport offense continued to put the pressure on. Following a shot by Kyle Pasta that loosened up the defense, Thompson found an opening and drove home his second goal of the game. Just over a minute later, Chrzaszcz gave the team the lead off a feed from Elgort, but Mary Washington capitalized on the two late goals by Tunick to secure the victory.

CNU held a 36-29 advantage in ground balls during the game and clamped down on Mary Washington's three extra-man opportunities. Adam Abbate and Michael Mabry led the way defensively, forcing a pair of turnovers apiece. Nick Mandros looked strong on faceoffs as well, winning five of his seven duals.

Christopher Newport will be back in action on Wednesday when the squad heads to Hampden-Sydney for a 4 p.m. battle. Following that contest, CNU will kick off a four-game homestand beginning with FDU-Florham on March 11 at 4 p.m.

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