NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Kicking off the 2016 campaign with an edge-of-your-seat thriller, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team overcame a five-goal deficit and eventually forced overtime before dropping a hard-fought 10-9 double-overtime decision to Washington & Lee during an epic season opener on a frigid Thursday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
During the contest, Joey Rolando and Ryan Mills both scored a pair of goals, while Randy Foster added a strike and two assists. Will Geise and Jacob Hale also contributed two points apiece to help balance out a well-rounded attack.
 
While the offense was chipping away at Washington & Lee's lead, the entire team stepped up with a suffocating effort. Matt Hayden made 14 saves between the pipes and also forced a pair of turnovers. Thomas Courtney and Brandon Moloney also caused two miscues, and Tony Cruz dominated on faceoffs. The second-year star won 16 of his 23 battles and collected a game-high eight ground balls.
 
After CNU fell behind 7-2 midway through the third quarter, the Captains regrouped and began to mount a comeback. Courtney kicked off the surge with a tremendous run. Showing off his athleticism, the first-year defender went coast-to-coast as he split through the Generals and unleashed a screaming one-timer to cut the deficit down to four with three minutes left in the period.
 
Looking to build on that momentum, Cruz won the ensuing faceoff and the offense went back to work. Showing some nice ball movement, Christopher Newport worked the ball around the zone before Rolando dished to Foster, who blistered his first goal of the season to pull within three at 7-4 at the end of the third.
 
In the fourth quarter, Rolando and Foster continued to do damage. Rolando chased down a loose ball near midfield and used a pinpoint, underhanded flip to shovel the ball to Foster. Although Foster's shot was eventually stoned, Mills bullied his way into the zone, grabbed the roller, and slammed home the squad's fifth goal. Although Washington & Lee momentarily retaliated and pulled ahead by three again with 11 minutes left in regulation, the Captains were undeterred.
 
Continuing to toy with the W&L defense, Foster hit Rolando with a perfect feed before the senior sniped his first goal of the game. Four minutes later, Foster went back to work and found Hale, who cut through some clutter to find an opening for his first collegiate goal, which pulled the Captains within one at 8-7 with six minutes left in the second half.
 
Once again, Cruz came up big and snatched the following faceoff before the attack evened things at eight. Just 23 seconds after the squad's seventh goal, Hale fed the ball to Mills, who drove home a rocket from the top of the zone to tie the game at 8-8.
 
Just as dominant on the defensive side, Michael Mabry cut down a run on the near side of the field as he simply stole the ball away from an attacker to regain possession. Later, Jake O'Connell made a phenomenal run to clear the zone as he battled through tough contact at midfield to give the offense a shot with two minutes left in regulation.
 
Holding the ball, Shane McKenna eventually found the squad's hot-hand as Rolando took control and snapped off another bullet to the back of the net, which gave the Captains their first lead of the game with 1:53 left on the clock. Unfortunately, things took a turn after that point as the Generals were able to cause a turnover and find a sliver of daylight in the CNU defense to even things at nine and force an extra session.
 
In the first overtime, Christopher Newport controlled the tempo. Rolando ripped three shots, including one that was stoned by Washington & Lee's Wyatt Devine. Geise also had an attempt thwarted on the doorstep, while Hayden made a pair of solid saves on CNU's side to keep the ledger spotless on the way to a second overtime.
 
Continuing his solid play between the pipes, Hayden made a game-saving stop on a breakaway following the opening faceoff and added another save to help close down an extra-man opportunity by the Generals. Unfortunately, Washington & Lee continued to pressure the Captains. Although Rolando fired another on-target shot to loosen up the W&L back line, the visitors retaliated. Storming down the field, Max Hutson was able to uncork a last-ditch shot in the final few seconds of the period to close out the contest and seal a 10-9 triumph for the Generals.
 
During the game, Christopher Newport held a 48-36 edge in shots, but Devine came through with 16 saves for Washington & Lee. Meanwhile, the Captains also held a 38-28 edge in ground balls and won 16 of the game's 23 faceoffs.
 
Early in the contest, the Generals seemed to find their rhythm immediately. Less than two minutes into the game, the visitors lit up the scoreboard. Later, they added a second strike before Geise added a highlight-reel goal. Battling through a scrum in front of the cage, the junior secured a ground ball and fired a shot from his knees. Amazingly, he was able to muster enough strength to send the spinner into the back of the net to put CNU on the board.
 
Unimpressed, Washington & Lee fired back and added two more goals before Geise put his passing skills on display. Midway through the second quarter, he send a great feed to Dave Magdeburger, who cranked his first goal of the season to cut the deficit in half. Despite the momentary resurgence, the Captains eventually entered halftime trailing 6-2 and allowed a quick goal in the third quarter before piecing together their incredible comeback bid.
 
Unfortunately, the Generals were able to rebound and add the fatal blow in the second overtime to earn the victory.
 
Along with his two caused turnovers, Moloney chipped in with five ground balls, while Hayden added six during his time in the crease. Mabry, Geise, and Harrison Drier also secured three ground balls apiece.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on February 20 when the squad hosts Ferrum at 1 p.m.
 
---CNU---