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ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Powered by a pair of second-half goals, the 13th-ranked Christopher Newport men's soccer team came from behind for the sixth time this season, capturing a 2-1 conference victory on the road at St. Mary's (Md.). The Captains improved to 10-0-4 overall with a 3-0-2 record in CAC action while the host Seahawks fall to 6-6-1, 2-3-0 this season. 

The Captains have trailed by at least one goal in six games this season and remain unbeaten with a 4-0-2 record in those contests. With two more goals after halftime on Wednesday, the Captains are now outscoring their opponents 16-1 after the break. 

After the conference's leading scorer Nick Tait put St. Mary's on the board with an unassisted empty net goal in the third minute, the Captains took control of the action. With a 12-1 advantage in total shots in the first half, the Captains tested Seahawks goalkeeper Zack Haussler, but were unable to convert in the first 45 minutes. 

Early in the second half, Nodwell nearly tied the game when he received a pass from Balfour through the top of the box. Nodwell beat Haussler to the ball and chipped a shot on frame, but a tremendous effort by a St. Mary's defender cleared the chance off the line with a leaping volley to keep CNU off the board. CNU continued to pressure the St. Mary's defense before a foul by Yonah Zeitz awarded the Captains a penalty kick in the 68th minute. Balfour stepped in to take the shot and smacked home his fifth goal of the season for the game-tying goal. 

With the game back even, the Captains offense settled in and looked comfortable against their conference foes for the remainder. Sophomore Andrew Gogolin unleashed a hard shot from distance that went just wide in the 68th minute and rookie Zachary Ballard blasted a shot off the crossbar in the 73rd minute. With the score still tied and just seven minutes remaining, Nodwell rose to the occasion with the eventual game-winning strike. After being denied by the St. Mary's defense early in the half, Nodwell made sure his one-timer off a short cross from Preston Key found the back of the net to give the Captains a 2-1 lead. 

Now on the ropes, the home team threw everything forward and put some pressure on Christopher Newport rookie Zach Pedini, making his first career start in goal. Tait, who scored in the first two minutes of the game, looked to punctuate the afternoon with a game-tying strike in the final minute when he took a hard shot that glanced off a CNU defender. Pedini reacted quickly, leaped to his right and knocked the shot away, avoiding disaster for the Captains with a spectacular save that locked up his first career win. Pedini needed to make just two saves in the game, but the latter saved the win for the CNU defense. 

The back line continues to impress, allowing just nine total shots and two on-frame. Sean Christein, Bobby Seifert, Cameron Vaughn and Sammy Blosser led the way on Wednesday, as CNU has now allowed just nine goals in 14 games this season. 

Christopher Newport will return to action this Saturday as they host Wesley College in CAC action at 7:00 pm. The Captains will look to continue its 22-game unbeaten streak against the Wolverines, who boast an overall record of 6-6-1 and a conference mark of 3-1-0.