ST. DAVIDS, Pa. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team saw its three-game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday afternoon as the Captains dropped a 16-7 decision to Eastern during a non-conference battle at Olson Field.

In a showdown featuring a pair of programs receiving votes in the latest USILA National Coaches Poll, Eastern was able to secure an early lead before using a fourth-quarter push to pull away for the victory. Despite the setback, John Thompson contributed his fourth straight hat-trick for CNU, while Randy Foster added a pair of goals.

On the defensive end, Matt Hayden matched his career-high with 17 saves, which also stands sixth on the program's all-time single-game list. Meanwhile, Foster, Brenden Dwyer, and Dave Magdeburger all forced two turnovers. Brandon Moloney also stepped up with a key performance as the junior took over on faceoffs early in the contest and eventually won seven of his 13 battles. He also collected a team-high five ground balls.

With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 5-2 on the season. Eastern now sits at 6-1.

Early in the contest, the Eagles fell into a groove and scored a pair of goals in the first two minutes of action. Looking to respond, Casey Cook and Brooks Billings both blistered ropes that just missed the mark and clanked off the pipe. After withstanding the CNU attack, the hosts shot back with their third straight goal to snatch a 3-0 lead in the eighth minute of action.

Needing to make a statement before the end of the first quarter, Foster put the Captains on the board. After securing a pass from Gregory Limon at the top of the zone, Foster had a great look at the cage. With just one defender in his way, the sophomore tucked a bullet underneath the crossbar to cut the deficit back down to two at the end of the opening period.

Unfortunately, the late strike by CNU did little to wrestle momentum away from Eastern. Still firing, the Eagles slammed home three straight goals to open up the second period and grab a 6-1 lead. Despite the deficit, the visitors continued to battle. Moloney won a tough faceoff and collected the ground ball to give the offense a chance to respond. With the opportunity, Cook dodged a defender and burst through the zone before dropping a dagger on the defense to pull the Captains back within four.

Despite the momentary spark, Christopher Newport hit another rough patch at the end of the second stanza. During the final six minutes of the first half, Eastern tacked on two more goals to secure an 8-2 lead entering the break.

Following halftime, Harrison Drier did all he could to give CNU a chance. Bruising the opposition with unrelenting force, the junior put on an impressive display and secured three ground balls during a two-minute span. Although the Eagles were eventually able to scratch out another goal, the Captains' attack began to find its footing.

After Eastern's ninth goal, Foster wasted no time trimming the lead back down to six. Following a faceoff violation, he cruised right through the EU defense and buried a bullet in the back of the net to cut the deficit to 9-3. Four minutes later, Thompson continued the surge. Facing the nation's stingiest man-down defense, the Captains prevailed following an Eastern penalty. With four minutes remaining in the third, Thompson took a pass from Billings and sailed a side-armed dart into the far corner of the net to pull within five at 9-4.

Despite the resurgence, Eastern was able to respond again as the hosts notched a last-second strike just before the third quarter ended to steal back some of the momentum.

Looking to mount a fourth-quarter comeback, Christopher Newport lit up the scoreboard quickly in the final stanza. After Hayden made a pair of saves to silence the Eagles, he cleared the zone with a beautiful pass to turn the tables. Following the clear, Wade Browning dished to Thompson, who drove home his second goal to slice the deficit back down to five with 13 minutes left.

Hoping to end any thought of a CNU comeback, Eastern strung together three straight goals during the middle of the period to secure a 13-5 advantage. Refusing to back down, the Captains tacked on two more tallies before time expired. First, Alex Barber cut in front of the goal and took a pass from Will Geise before hammering home a quick hitter. Five minutes later, Magdeburger pieced together a great catch-and-run before feeding Thompson, who capped off his hat-trick in the waning moments of regulation.

Overall, Eastern held a 49-41 edge in shots and a 42-28 lead in ground balls. The Eagles also won 16 of the game's 25 faceoffs and converted 22 of their 23 clear attempts.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the Captains host Marymount in a Capital Athletic Conference clash at 2 p.m.

---CNU---