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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Facing a 2-0 deficit in the second half against the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins, the 8th-ranked Captains stormed back to capture a dramatic 3-2 double overtime victory Friday night. CNU improved to 2-0-0 behind an impressive game from junior Patrick Burns, scoring all three goals for his second career hat trick. 

Playing in front of a near-capacity crowd that included the entire CNU football team, opening up their season on Saturday, the Captains provided fans with a thrilling game in the 2015 Joe Pombriant / CNU Classic. It was the 20th time the two teams have battled in games decided by one goal or fewer, as the hotly contested rivalry had yet another terrific chapter added to it Friday night. 

At first, it was the Marlins who had the upperhand. In the first half, Tyler Ostrovecky slotted a shot past CNU senior goalkeeper Nolan Mann for the first tally of the night. Off a pass from Ryan Kraus, Ostrovecky put away the shot into the right side of the goal. Then, just under nine minutes into the second half, Virginia Wesleyan scored again, pulling ahead 2-0 with a hustle goal from Ricky Perrault. The rookie forward crashed down the middle of the field and had an open-net goal after Alex Suprise took advantage of a defensive miscue by the Captains.

Facing their first loss of the young season, the Captains shifted into a higher gear offensively, leaning heavily on their top returning scorer Patrick Burns. Just three minutes later, CNU finally got on the board on a nifty pass from Ryan Balfour to the junior forward. After a quick move in the box, Burns slipped a low bouncer under the Marlins keeper, Connor Kirkham, to get its first goal of the game. 

In the 64th minute, Burns tied the game off a beautiful cross from junior defender Sammy Blosser. Taking a free kick from 20 yards inside of midfield, Blosser lofted a perfect pass toward the back post, where the 6-2 junior forward leaped and connected on a header for the equalizer. 

Kirkham had a sensational game in net for the Marlins, making a handful of impressive saves as CNU pushed past the VWC defense time and time again. The game was nearly ended in regulation were it not for Kirkham's big game between the pipes, as he turned away blistering attempts from Garrett Van Nutt, Harry Nodwell, Ryan Balfour and Burns. The senior made a career-high 13 saves, including seven in the second half. 

Unable to convert, the two teams went into overtime with CNU's offense carrying momentum heavily in its favor. After a scoreless first overtime, the Captains came roaring out of the break heading into the second. The first run up the field nearly ended it, as Sebastian Abrigo smoked a hard shot past the keeper from the left side just 18 seconds in, but a defender turned it away off the goal line. Then, two minutes later, Burns nearly ended it with his right foot but Kirkham was up to the task for his 13th save. On the next CNU possession, though, rookie Hunter Simons lifted a long ball from the right side into the box, giving Burns a chance to flick the ball toward the left side. It bounced into the back of the net and the nearly 1,300 fans in attendance celebrated in kind with Burns and the rest of the Captains. 

CNU's junior scoring leader now has scored all four goals of the young season for the Captains. His second career hat trick comes in his 45th career game, as he runs his career total to 16 goals. He is just the tenth player in program history to notch multiple hat tricks in his career. 

The Captains outshot the Marlins, 26-10, including an overwhelming 18-4 edge in shots on-goal. CNU also held a stout 11-1 advantage in corner kicks during the contest. 

Prior to CNU's game, the Joe Pombriant / CNU Classic was kicked off by a 1-0 win from Neumann over Wesley. On Sunday, Wesley will travel to Va. Wesleyan to finish out their appearance in the tournament, while the Captains will host the Neumann Knights at 1:00 pm.