SALISBURY, Md. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team fell behind early and could not catch up to No. 11 Salisbury as the Captains dropped a 16-3 decision to the Sea Gulls during a Capital Athletic Conference showdown on Wednesday evening at Sea Gull Stadium.

During the contest, Will Geise, Dave Magdeburger, and Alex Barber all scored for CNU, while Ryan Mills added an assist. On the defensive end, Matt Hayden contributed 13 saves, while Brandon Moloney forced a pair of turnovers. Nick Kirschke also did solid work on faceoffs as the sophomore won eight battles and collected three ground balls.

With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 8-4 on the season, including 3-2 in league action. The victory moves Salisbury to 10-4 overall and 6-0 in the CAC.

In the opening moments of the game, CNU stifled the Salisbury attack with a strong defensive showing. Keeping the hosts off the board, Hayden made a pair of early saves, including a huge stop off a pointblank shot in the first minute of action. Later, Magdeburger avoided a pick and pieced together a nice ride on a Sea Gull attacker to help close down another SU run.

Unfortunately, the CNU offense was unable to find its rhythm, and the Sea Gulls soon found theirs. Salisbury strung together four straight goals, including three during a two-minute stretch, to grab a commanding 4-0 advantage.

Needing to find an answer, the defense stepped up again for the Captains. At the tail end of the first quarter, Harrison Drier laid a bruising hit on a Sea Gull to keep the deficit at four. Then, at the start of the second quarter, Hayden picked off a pass inside the crease to clamp down on a fast break opportunity by Salisbury.

Despite the defensive effort, Christopher Newport could not cut into its deficit. The CNU offense was unable to find an opening, and Salisbury eventually pumped three straight goals in the middle of the second stanza to grab a 7-0 lead. Still searching for a little more breathing room, SU tacked on a pair of tallies in the final minute of the first half to snatch a nine-goal advantage entering the break.

Following halftime, Salisbury was able to push its lead to double-digits with an early goal before the Captains got on the board. On a Sea Gull clear attempt, Geise and Brooks Billings double-teamed an SU defender and drove him out-of-bounds to keep the ball in the offensive zone. Fittingly, Geise took possession and cut straight towards the goal before spinning his defender and unloading a rocket to chip the deficit back down to nine.

Looking to continue the comeback, Kirschke won the ensuing faceoff before John Thompson and Casey Cook ripped back-to-back shots. Unfortunately, the first attempt was stoned by the SU goalie before the second squirted wide. Shortly thereafter, Salisbury silenced any thoughts of a comeback with five straight goals to close out the third and secure a 15-1 lead.

In the fourth, the Sea Gulls added another quick goal with a man-up tally before CNU put together its finest run of the game. First, the offense looked sharp as Joey Rolando peppered back-to-back shots before Magdeburger took control on the far side of the field. After gaining possession, he blew past a pair of defenders and found himself one-on-one with the goalie. Following a textbook fake, which got the keeper off his feet, the junior unleashed a dart to the back of the net for Christopher Newport's second score.

Later, the defense did its part with a solid effort as well. On a clear by Salisbury, Moloney cruised up the sidelines and stayed on the hip of a Sea Gull midfielder before forcing a turnover. Later, Michael Mabry intercepted a pass deep in the CNU zone to end another offensive stand by Salisbury.

Continuing to show heart, the Captains pressured the Sea Gulls until the final horn sounded. In the waning moments of regulation, Geise caused another Salisbury miscue before Barber capitalized. Mills took possession behind the cage and sent a perfectly-timed feed to Barber, who caught the pass on the run and slammed home the game's final goal with 90 seconds left.

Overall, Salisbury held a 44-23 edge in shots and a 37-23 lead in ground balls. SU also won 11 of the game's 21 faceoff attempts.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday at 1 p.m. when CNU takes on Wesley at Captains Turf Field.

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