Box Score

LATROBE, Pa. – Sophomore John Thompson pitched in with five points and set a new single-season scoring record for Christopher Newport as the CNU men's lacrosse team snapped its four-game skid with a 12-7 victory over Saint Vincent on Saturday afternoon.

During the contest, Thompson posted three goals and a pair of assists to push his single-season point total to 47. That eclipsed the old program record of 44 set by Britt Hoover during the 2010 campaign. He also extended his single-season assist mark to 29 with Saturday's performance.

Along with Thompson, Alex Barber and Will Geise each added a pair of goals, while Brad Picciolo and Brenden Dwyer combined for four caused turnovers. Ari Elgort was also strong as the team's faceoff man, winning 14 of the game's 23 battles.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 6-8 on the season, while Saint Vincent falls to 2-7.

After stumbling a bit over the past month, the Captains shook off some rust and opened the game with an excellent effort in the first period. Following a bit of a defensive struggle during the first seven minutes, Billy Crist opened the scoring with a bullet off a feed from Thompson. Following that assist, the second-year star continued his early game onslaught with a goal at 6:47 before dishing a perfect pass to Aaron Chrzaszcz, who converted with a dart.

Leading 3-0 after the first, CNU continued its surge in the second. Following a caused turnover by Jake Myers, Adam Abbate unloaded a tracer to push the lead to four. Although Saint Vincent responded with a goal by Jay Lunz, the Captains remained unfazed. Thompson came back with his second goal of the contest before Barber struck with 48 seconds remaining in the half to give the squad a comfortable 6-1 advantage.

With a five-goal cushion, Christopher Newport continued to pressure the Saint Vincent defense early in the third period. Once again, Thompson was at the forefront of that effort after completing his hat-trick at 12:31. Later, following a strong defensive stand, which featured caused turnovers by Picciolo and Dwyer, Devin Bushweller added CNU's eighth goal at 5:48.

Staring at a seven-goal deficit, the Bearcats pieced together a response. With their first sustained offensive surge of the game, the squad uncorked four straight shots, but Andy McGregor stoned every attempt. Later, continuing to press the Captain defense, Patrick Kenna finally broke through with 29 seconds remaining in the frame to pull back within six at 8-2.

With a few ticks still remaining on the clock, CNU posted a timely response. After Elgort won the ensuing faceoff, Geise took control and blistered a rocket to the back of the net for a 9-2 edge.

Leading by seven, the Captains had more than enough wiggle room. After Barber tacked on his second goal following an assist by Abbate early in the fourth, the Bearcats stung CNU on back-to-back goals. Refusing to let the hosts back into the game, Myers answered with his first score of the game before Geise chipped in with another at the five-minute mark.

Although Saint Vincent did its best to make the game interesting with a late push, Christopher Newport eventually settled in and walked away with the 12-7 victory.

During the contest, the two teams both unloaded 31 shots, but CNU benefited from a 10-save effort by McGregor. The Captains also held a 32-29 advantage in ground balls and converted 21 of their 27 clear attempts.

Christopher Newport will be back in action on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest at Greensboro.

---CNU---