Box Score

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team was eliminated from the Capital Athletic Conference tournament on Wednesday as the Captains dropped a 13-4 decision to No. 13 Mary Washington during the first round of the playoffs at the Battleground Athletic Complex.

After falling behind by seven entering halftime, CNU could not complete one of its patented second-half comebacks as the squad was eliminated from its first-ever conference tournament. Brooks Billings, John Thompson, Randy Foster, and Adam Abbate all scored for the Captains, while Mark Hargrove made 10 saves. Nick Kirschke also won 11 of 19 faceoffs and scooped up four ground balls.

With the loss, Christopher Newport falls to 10-6 overall, which still marks the most victories in a single campaign in program history. Mary Washington improves to 14-2 and will travel to York on Saturday.

Making his first career start, Hargrove made six saves in the first half against the Eagles, but the hosts still managed to pull out to a 7-0 edge entering the break. Staring at an imposing deficit, Abbate got things started right in the third quarter. After Kirschke won the opening faceoff and Brandon Moloney picked up a ground ball, Abbate curled through the zone and fired a dart to the back of the net to put the visitors on the board.

Unfortunately, Mary Washington had an immediate response. The Eagles quickly tacked on a pair of goals during a two-minute stretch to grab a 9-1 lead. Needing a quick goal, the Captains peppered the UMW goalie during an impressive onslaught. Although the hosts were able to withstand the first barrage, Billings eventually forced a turnover to keep the ball in the visitors' end before the freshman unloaded a bullet for CNU's second score.

Once again, the Eagles had an answer. Mary Washington tacked on two more goals to nail down an 11-2 edge in the early part of the fourth quarter. With time running out, Christopher Newport put together its best run of the game. Teddy Pekalski forced a turnover and grabbed the loose ball before Thompson drilled home his 17th goal of the year. Four minutes later, after Hargrove made a nice save to stifle a UMW surge, Foster scored CNU's last goal with a rocket at the seven-minute mark to pull the Captains back within seven.

Unfortunately, CNU could never pull closer as Mary Washington added two more goals late in the fourth to seal the victory. Overall, the Eagles held a 43-29 edge in shots and a 36-27 lead in ground balls. The Captains did win 12 of the game's 21 faceoffs.

---CNU---