Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team used a stifling offensive attack and a suffocating defensive presence to storm to its program-record seventh straight victory with a 16-3 triumph over Methodist during a non-conference showdown on a blustery Wednesday evening at Captains Turf Field.

During the contest, John Thompson posted a team-high five points, including four goals, while Joey Rolando, Randy Foster, and Hunter King all scored twice. King also contributed an assist and helped pace a dynamic man-up unit, which capitalized on four extra-man opportunities during the contest.

On the defensive end, the Captains forced 15 turnovers, including two apiece by Brandon Moloney, Harrison Drier, Teddy Pekalski, and Steven West. Not to be outdone, Nick Kirschke was nearly unbeatable on faceoffs, winning 16 of his 21 battles. The freshman standout also collected seven ground balls.

With the victory, CNU improves to 7-1 on the year. The setback drops Methodist to 3-5.

Although the Captains struck almost immediately on a bullet by Rolando less than one minute into regulation, the hosts struggled to find their rhythm during the early part of the game. The defense settled in quickly and limited Methodist's opportunities, but the offense experienced some tough sledding before exploding with a tremendous run in the waning moments of the period.

Still up by one with just over two minutes remaining in the stanza, Christopher Newport went on a run. Thompson kicked things off following an assist by Adam Abbate at 2:25. With work left to do, Foster and Dave Magdeburger came through with back-to-back darts during the final minute of action to give the squad a 4-0 edge heading into the second quarter.

Riding the momentum, the CNU attack continued to blitz the Monarchs early in the second. Rolando got things rolling with his second goal before John and Parker Thompson added two straight scores during a 50-second onslaught that pushed the lead to 7-0. Continuing to control possession behind Kirschke's faceoff dominance, the Captains added their eighth straight goal after Rolando sent a feed to Foster, who loaded up and fired a screaming one-timer to the back of the net with 5:41 left in the half.

Although Methodist was able to respond with a man-up tally with a few ticks left in the second quarter, the lead was insurmountable. Christopher Newport rolled into the third period with a seven-goal edge and never looked back.

Early in the third, the defense came to play before the offense put the game out-of-reach. Pekalski and Brenden Dwyer forced turnovers after leveling a pair of Monarchs, while Mark Hargrove made a save in relief to keep the seven-goal edge. Shortly thereafter, the Captains put their man-up unit on full display with another breathtaking run over the final 12 minutes of the period.

Getting things started, John Thompson dropped in his third goal of the contest off a perfect feed by King. Four minutes later, Thompson showed off his passing skills after finding Brooks Billings on the doorstep. With a quick flip, the freshman wrapped a goal around the near post to push the lead to 10-1 at 8:42.

Still running, Thompson capped off his night with another goal off an assist by Ryan Mills before King and Aaron Chrzaszcz put on a show. With back-to-back extra-man opportunities, the two standouts teamed up on a pair of tallies as King came through with his first career two-goal effort. After setting up King's scores, Chrzaszcz struck for his first off a pass by Parker Thompson to give the squad a 14-1 edge entering the fourth.

With the game well in hand, the Captains eased into the victory. Brendan Short and Connor Tapscott each found the back of the net off assists by Patrick Fleming and Mills to round out the scoring. On the defensive end, Ryan Long and Nick Wright combined for three saves over the final 10 minutes of action, while Chris Young and Trevor Royce each forced turnovers to help seal the 13-goal victory.

Overall, Christopher Newport dominated on the stat sheet, out-shooting Methodist, 44-16, while holding a 34-22 edge in ground balls. CNU also won 17 of the game's 22 faceoffs.

The Captains will return to action on Saturday when the squad continues CAC play with a 1 p.m. showdown against Frostburg State.

---CNU---