Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the eighth time this season, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team entered halftime with a deficit, but for only the third time, CNU could not bounce back as No. 14 Mary Washington grabbed a 13-6 victory during a Capital Athletic Conference contest on a brisk Wednesday evening at Captains Turf Field.

Playing from behind for most of the year, the Captains became accustomed to big second-half comebacks, but the Eagles proved to be too much to overcome. Although Brooks Billings scored a pair of goals and both Michael Mabry and Brandon Moloney chipped in with three caused turnovers, Christopher Newport struggled to find a rhythm and saw its two-game roll come to an end.

With the setback, CNU falls to 9-3 on the season, including 3-2 in the CAC. Mary Washington improves to 10-2 with a 2-2 mark in league play.

From the outset, the Eagles set the tempo. The visitors opened the scoring less than two minutes into regulation and eventually rolled out to a 4-0 edge early in the second quarter. Needing to steal some of the momentum, Teddy Pekalski won the squad's second faceoff before Billings took over. After gaining possession on the far side of the field, the freshman curled around the post, found some room, and unloaded a dart to pull the team back within three at 4-1.

Unfortunately, Mary Washington never backed down. The visitors tacked on two more goals, and although John Thompson added a tally for CNU on a gorgeous bounce shot late in the half, the Captains found themselves trailing 6-2 entering the third.

At the start of the second half, Christopher Newport stepped it up on defense. Matt Hayden came through with an impressive rally, making three straight saves to give the team a chance. Undeterred, Mary Washington continued to poke at the CNU defense and eventually broke through with two more goals to push the lead to six with eight minutes left in the third.

Struggling to find their footing, the Captains finally pieced together their best run at the seven-minute mark. On the defensive end, Moloney bruised an Eagle with a devastating stick check at the top of the zone before scooping up the roller. After John Keohane grabbed control, the freshman dusted the defense and broke loose on a fast break. With some room to work, he dished to Billings, who settled in on the doorstep and blistered a point-blank bullet for the squad's third goal of the game.

Five minutes later, Aaron Chrzaszcz also found the back of the net following a sweet assist by Thompson, but Mary Washington continued to find an answer. The visitors eventually used a late surge to grab an 11-4 lead entering the fourth.

With time a major factor, the Captains simply did not have enough left on the clock to mount a comeback. Randy Foster and Adam Abbate both scored goals in the fourth, but the Eagles continued to roll and eventually secured the seven-goal victory.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 36-27 lead in shots and both squads pounded 21 on-goal. CNU also held a 28-26 edge in ground balls, but Mary Washington controlled possession throughout most of the contest and won 15 of the game's 23 faceoffs.

CNU will return to action on Saturday when the squad travels to St. Mary's for a 3 p.m. showdown with the reigning CAC Champions.

---CNU---