FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- Behind a scorching offensive attack, which saw 14 players score at least one goal, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team set a new single-game scoring record as the Captains raced past Methodist, 23-6, during a non-conference showdown on Wednesday afternoon at Monarch Stadium.

Headlining their historic effort, the Captains established a new single-game program record with 23 goals, which topped their previous mark of 21 set against FDU-Florham in 2013. Christopher Newport also set a new record with 23 faceoff victories, while the team's 15 assists and four man-up goals also stand second all-time in CNU history.

On an individual level, Will Geise led the team with seven points, including four assists. His seven points rank fourth on the program's single-game scoring list. John Thompson also notched a hat-trick, while Brooks Billings, Andrew Ashley, Casey Cook, Alex Barber, and Devin Bushweller all scored twice. Dave Magdeburger and Shane McKenna helped balance out the offensive explosion with two assists apiece.

Incredibly, 18 different Captains registered at least one point during the game.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 3-1 on the season. The setback drops Methodist to 2-3.

The Captains kicked off the fireworks with a rapid-fire assault in the first quarter. Billings got things started as the sophomore faked high and went low with a bullet for the game's first goal. Later, after the Monarchs evened things at one, Matthew Crist and Gregory Limon teamed up for a pair of strikes. First, Crist scored off a pass from his teammate before immediately returning the favor. Two minutes after their first connection, the freshman hit Limon in-stride with a textbook feed, which the senior quickly converted for a 3-1 advantage.

Still rolling, Barber beat a defender for his first goal before Ryan Mills found long-stick middie Harrison Drier, who pulled the trigger from just inside the box for an impressive, long-distance strike. Later, following Methodist's second goal of the game, the Captains ended the first with two more scores. Geise kicked off the late push after muscling through three defenders for the squad's sixth goal before Cook rolled around the defense for his first tally to give CNU a huge 7-2 lead.

The second stanza mirrored the first as the visitors tossed seven more goals on the board to put Methodist in a devastating hole. Once again, Billings opened the action as he assisted on Randy Foster's first goal before wrapping around the far post for his second score of the game. Shortly thereafter, Magdeburger and Thompson joined forces on back-to-back goals to nail down an 11-4 edge with five minutes remaining in the half.

With time winding down, Geise stepped up with an incredible run just before the break. First, he sent a well-placed pass to Barber, who was toeing the crease and quickly converted the feed into his second goal. Later, he assisted on a goal by Garrison Ernst before adding a strike of his own with some high-heat off a feed from Joey Rolando that tucked perfectly into the top corner just before the horn sounded.

Clutching a 10-goal lead, the Captains wasted little time extending their advantage following the break. After showing off his passing skills at the end of the second quarter, Rolando flashed his scoring touch to open the third. Finding himself in a one-on-one situation on the near side of the field, he broke down his defender, spun free, and whistled home his first goal just 40 seconds into the new period.

Three minutes later, the visitors struck again with some highlight-reel action. At the top of the zone, the squad pulled off the hidden-ball trick, which cleared out the center of the MU defense. Following the razzle-dazzle, Geise dished to Thompson, who had an open look and immediately snapped off his third goal to complete his hat-trick with 11 minutes left in the third.

Leading 16-4, Christopher Newport tacked on three more scores before the end of the period. Cook buzzed in for the team's 17th goal before Ashley added a pair. The freshman notched his first-career score after dusting the dirt with a low dart that pushed CNU's lead to 14. Although Methodist was able to orchestrate an answer, Ashley responded with a tough-angled shot just inside the far post off a pass from McKenna.

With little left to prove, the Captains slowed their assault in the fourth quarter before locking up the single-game scoring record. Fittingly, Geise opened up the final period in style as he bulled through a slew of defenders and whipped in his third goal to snatch a 20-6 lead. Six minutes later, following an initial shot that was blocked, Will Ervin showed some heads-up play as he scooped up the ground ball and quickly fired his first collegiate score.

Looking to break the scoring record, Bushweller added the final two tallies. With six minutes remaining, he took a feed from McKenna and sniped a one-timer from the corner to set the scoring record. Later, in the waning moments, he added the final exclamation point with help from Jacob O'Connell to ice the 23-6 victory.

Although the offense was the story of the game, the entire team contributed to the victory. Tony Cruz won 10 of his 16 faceoffs, while Spencer Godine finished 8-of-9. Nick Kirschke also won five of his eight attempts and secured four ground balls. Equally impressive, the Captains forced six turnovers to help quiet the Monarch attack. Drier caused one and notched a team-high six ground balls, while Brandon Moloney also forced a miscue and scooped up three loose balls.

Between the pipes, Ryan Long and CJ Buechner answered the call and teamed up for 12 saves while allowing just six goals.

Overall, CNU dominated nearly every statistical category as the team led in shots, 52-26, ground balls, 40-25, and caused turnovers, 6-1. The team also converted 18 of its 20 clear attempts and won 70 percent of the faceoffs.

Christopher Newport will return to action on March 11 when the squad kicks off its home slate with a 7 p.m. showdown with Virginia Wesleyan.

---CNU---