Box Score

FERRUM, Va. – Alex Barber scored the tying goal in the fourth period and the winner in overtime to lead the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team past Ferrum, 6-5, in a thrilling conclusion to the regular season on Saturday afternoon at W.B. Adams Stadium.

While Barber added the offensive heroics, the Captains were stellar on the defensive side of the ball. Filling in between the pipes, Dominic Gianino posted 11 saves to pick up the victory. Zakary Burkhard was also a stalwart on defense, causing four turnovers. Michael Mabry forced a pair and picked up three ground balls as well.

With the victory, Christopher Newport extends its winning streak to three straight and improves to 8-8 on the season. Ferrum now sits at 8-9 overall.

After entering the fourth period trailing 5-3, the Captains refused to back down and showed a steely resolve in the game's final few minutes. At first, CNU did its best to keep the Ferrum attack at bay. In the early part of the fourth, Burkhard and Mabry both caused turnovers, while Gianino stoned a shot to keep the deficit at two.

With the defense doing its job, the Christopher Newport attack found its footing with six minutes remaining. Following a timeout, Billy Crist dished to Aaron Chrzaszcz, who unloaded a bullet at 5:55 to pull the squad back within one. Later, after Ari Elgort won the ensuing faceoff, the offense went back to work.

Following an initial shot by Elgort that went just wide, CNU regrouped. After Adam Abbate took control of the ball, he fed a pass to Barber, who blistered a laser through the zone to knot the game at five with 5:15 remaining in regulation.

After the two defenses locked down and forced overtime, Christopher Newport went right back to work in the bonus session. Although Damian Pulos was able to stop a shot by Gregory Limon in the early going, the Captains kept up the attack. Following a failed clear attempt by the Panthers, Barber took control of the ball and launched a one-timer into the back of the net to cap off the comeback and secure the 6-5 victory.

Overall, CNU held a slim 34-33 edge in shots, while Ferrum led the way in ground balls, 38-33. The Captains won eight of the game's 14 faceoffs, including six by Elgort.

Although Christopher Newport dominated the final few minutes of the game, the two teams were evenly matched in the beginning. Making his first start of the season, Gianino posted a pair of early saves and took a 2-1 lead in the opening period following goals by Abbate and Will Geise. After that point, the Panthers found their rhythm.

In the second quarter, Will Walter evened the score at two before Kyle Downey gave the hosts their first lead at the 10-minute mark. Despite the momentary stumble, CNU fought back. Gianino stoned two FC shots to limit the damage before Limon knotted the game with a dart at 5:22.

After Ferrum broke the deadlock in the waning moments of the first half, the squad kept the momentum in the third period. Despite an incredible effort by Gianino, highlighted by four saves at the beginning of the second half, the Panthers extended their lead to two with a goal at the seven-minute mark.

Staring squarely at a 5-3 deficit, the Captains pieced together a comeback. In the final few minutes of the third period, the defense took over. Burkhard caused a turnover to shut down a Ferrum run before Gianino stepped up again. Facing an unrelenting assault, he made two more saves during the final two minutes of the period to keep the Panthers in check.

After the defense continued its dominance in the fourth, the CNU offense eventually capped off the comeback as Chrzaszcz and Barber came through with the final three goals of the game to lift the Captains to a 6-5 victory.

---CNU---