Box Score

TOWSON, Md. – In another defensive struggle against Goucher, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team dropped its fourth straight decision with a 6-2 setback against the Gophers on Saturday afternoon at Beldon Field.

With the loss, CNU stands at 5-8 on the season, while Goucher is 5-7. The Gophers have now won all three meetings between the two programs and never allowed more than three goals in any of those bouts.

While the Goucher defense was the story of the contest, Christopher Newport also looked strong on that end of the field. Andy McGregor collected a game-high 16 saves, while his defense caused 17 turnovers. Teddy Pekalski and Michael Mabry each forced three for the Captains, while Brad Picciolo and Zakary Burkhard chipped in with a pair.

On the offensive end, Aaron Chrzaszcz and Will Geise each scored a goal for CNU. John Thompson added an assist, which extended his single-season program record to 27 this year.

Early in the game, the defenses set the tone. Although Goucher was able to control the pace and earn a few quick scoring opportunities, the Captains clamped down. McGregor made three saves, while Pekalski and Adam Abbate each forced turnovers before the Gophers called a timeout midway through the period to regroup.

After the break, Christopher Newport actually gained some momentum.  The Captains forced two more turnovers and tested the Goucher defense with a pair of shots before earning an extra-man advantage. With a premium opportunity, the visitors struck first as Thompson dished to Chrzaszcz, who unloaded a rocket for his 14th goal of the season at 2:07.

Staring at a one-goal deficit, Goucher wasted little time responding in the second. Just over a minute into the period, Steve Patterson evened the score following an assist by Pierce Ingram. After the Gopher defense withstood CNU's immediate response and staved off another extra-man opportunity, the hosts grabbed their first lead of the game at 8:29 when Mike Russo found the back of the net.

As the Gophers continued to find their footing, McGregor did all that he could to limit the damage and silence the attack. The senior goalie made four straight saves during a three-minute surge by Goucher. Unfortunately, the squad never relented and continued to probe the CNU defense before Max Roach wrapped up the first-half scoring with a goal at 1:31 to give GC a 3-1 edge.

After halftime, CNU had a great opportunity to snap Goucher's scoring streak but came up empty on a one-minute man-up advantage. Following their defensive stand, the Gophers went back to work on the offensive end. Less than three minutes into the half, the hosts scored their fourth straight goal after Patterson converted off a feed from Zachary Fratella.

With a three-goal lead, Goucher controlled the tempo throughout the third period. The team out-shot CNU 8-3 over the final 12 minutes of the stanza, including a blistering four-shot surge during the middle of the quarter. Refusing to break, the Christopher Newport defense kept its wits during the onslaught. McGregor made a pair of saves and Pekalski, Burkhard, and Gregory Limon each forced turnovers to keep the deficit at 4-1 entering the fourth.

After being silenced for much of the third, Goucher struck quickly in the fourth. Just 80 seconds into the final period, Fratella gave the squad a comfortable four-goal cushion. Although the defense continued to keep the game within reach, the CNU offense could not solve the Gophers.

With time winding down in regulation, the Captains finally broke through again with seven minutes left. Surrounded by a bevy of defenders, Geise unloaded a bullet through the Goucher defense to pull the visitors back within three at 5-2. Unfortunately, that was as close as Christopher Newport could get.

In the final moments, Patterson added his third goal of the game for the Gophers before their defense locked down and closed out the 6-2 victory.

Goucher held a commanding 45-17 advantage in shots and a 32-26 edge in ground balls during the game. The hosts also won eight of the 11 faceoffs, while Connor Mishaw chipped in with 11 saves for GC.

Christopher Newport will continue its seven-game road trip next Saturday when the Captains square off with Saint Vincent in Latrobe, Pa. at noon.

---CNU---