Billy Crist

Men's Lacrosse

Late-Game Heroics by Crist and Barber Lift CNU Men’s Lacrosse Past Hampden-Sydney, 7-6, in Overtime

Box Score

HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. – Four seconds away from the squad's second straight one-goal setback, Billy Crist came through with a crucial goal just before the end of regulation, while Alex Barber added the game-winner in overtime as the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team took down Hampden-Sydney, 7-6, in a thriller at Hellmuth-Pritzlaff Field on Thursday afternoon.

In addition to the clutch scoring by Crist and Barber, Andy McGregor made 10 saves for the Captains to help anchor an outstanding defensive effort. John Thompson also looked strong once again for CNU as the sophomore scored twice and added an assist for good measure.

With the victory, CNU captured its second straight overtime contest against the Tigers after pulling out an 8-7 win last season. Christopher Newport and Hampden-Sydney both sit at 3-2 this year.

Entering the fourth period knotted at five, both defenses clamped down in the early part of the stanza. David Noftsinger made a nice save on a bullet by Thompson, while McGregor and Jake Myers each caused turnovers for the Captains to keep the game deadlocked through the first six minutes of the period.

With scoring opportunities hard to come by, Hampden-Sydney finally broke the tie after James Hughes snuck a shot past the CNU defense at 9:03. Unfazed by the momentary lapse, the Captains came storming back. Peppering the H-SC defense with a barrage of shots, Christopher Newport could not quite find a crease as Noftsinger clamped down on four straight opportunities in the waning moments of regulation.

With just under two minutes remaining, the Captains staved off a man-down situation and eventually forced a pair of crucial turnovers to get the ball back. With mere seconds remaining on the game clock, Crist took control and unleashed a dart into the back of the net just before the horn sounded to send the game into the extra session.

In overtime, the CNU defense had to make one last stop after Hampden-Sydney forced a turnover. Following a timeout, the Captains regrouped and took control as McGregor stoned a shot by the Tigers. With renewed life, Christopher Newport cleared the zone, and after probing the defense for a weakness, Barber found some space and drove home the game-winner at 1:01 to send the CNU sideline into a frenzy.

The hosts held a 29-22 advantage in shots and a 25-20 edge in ground balls, while CNU came out ahead on faceoffs after taking nine of the 17 duals. Ari Elgort led the way, winning seven of his 12 matchups.

Early on in the game, the two teams traded blows and set the tone for the rest of the contest. The Tigers held a modest 2-1 edge after the first period despite Thompson's first goal of the game for the Captains. In the second, Will Geise tied the game at two with an assist from Thompson, and just over a minute later, Barber and Kyle Pasta teamed up to give CNU its first lead of the game at 3-2.

Unfortunately, the advantage was fleeting as the Tigers collected the last two goals of the first half to secure a 4-3 edge heading into the break. Continuing the squad's surge following the stoppage, Hampden-Sydney struck again just two minutes into the third period before Christopher Newport found its rhythm on the offensive end.

Staring at the short end of a 5-3 score, Aaron Chrzaszcz cut CNU's deficit in half after firing a bullet following a nice feed by Pasta at 10:45. Just over a minute later, after Elgort won the ensuing faceoff, Thompson drove home his second goal of the game to retie the game at five with 9:30 left in the third.

After the frenetic start to the period, the defenses took control from there. McGregor made a pair of saves for CNU and Adam Abbate forced a turnover to keep the Tigers quiet. On the other end, Hampden-Sydney caused three Captain turnovers to sustain the 5-5 tie heading into the fourth.

With the game on the line and time winding down, the hosts struck first on a goal by Hughes, but CNU never relented. Crist eventually came through with the equalizer before Barber added the finishing touches in overtime to close out the thrilling one-goal victory.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Monday when the squad kicks off a four-game homestand against FDU-Florham at 4 p.m.

---CNU---
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