NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team could not dig out of an early hole as CNU dropped a 15-8 decision to Union during a non-conference battle on a breezy Monday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
Falling behind by eight at halftime, CNU simply could not catch up to the high-powered Dutchmen. Despite a six-goal outburst in the fourth quarter, including three late tallies by Randy Foster, the Captains saw their six-game winning streak come to an end.
 
Along with Foster, who finished the game with a team-high five points, Will Geise also added a goal and an assist. Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Matt Hayden made 12 saves for CNU, while Brandon Moloney forced four turnovers and grabbed six ground balls. The senior also contributed his first goal of the season to kick off the fourth-quarter rally.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 6-2 on the season. The victory moves Union to 4-2. Both teams entered the contest receiving votes in the latest USILA National Coaches Poll.
 
From the outset, the Dutchmen found their groove. Hayden did everything he could to stymie the attack, including a tremendous stretch during which he made a pair of saves from his knees. The second stop came on a breakaway by the visitors after they forced a turnover and quickly flipped the field, but Hayden brushed aside the ensuing shot with an acrobatic save.
 
Unfortunately, Union never slowed down. After five straight stops by Hayden to open the game, the Dutchmen finally found a seam in the CNU defense as they tossed three consecutive goals on the board late in the first period to grab an early advantage.
 
In the second quarter, Tony Cruz won the opening faceoff and the Captains peppered the Dutchmen with back-to-back shots, but neither found daylight. Following the defensive stand, Union went right back to work on the offensive side as the squad strung together another three-goal run to snatch a 6-0 edge with 11 minutes left in the half.
 
Needing to stunt the Union surge, the Captains buckled down. After another huge stop by Hayden, CNU lit up the scoreboard. Foster jumped on a loose ball and immediately cleared the zone. Sprinting towards the crease, he eventually was interrupted by a UC defender, but he quickly flipped the ball to Ryan Mills, who pounded home a shot along the far post for CNU's first goal.
 
Later, after the Dutchmen retaliated with two more strikes, the Captains used their speed to set up another goal with four minutes left in the half. After Michael Mabry grabbed a ground ball, Christopher Albright took possession and bolted up the field. After pulling up at the top of the zone, he dished to Matthew Crist, who beat a defender and sniped a bullet to the back of the net.
 
Unfortunately, the Captains struggled to put together a sustained surge. Once again, following CNU's goal, Union shot back with a pair to nail down a 10-2 edge entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the Dutchmen continued to open up their lead. Eventually, the visitors poured in five straight goals during the third period to snatch a 15-2 advantage entering the final 15 minutes of action.
 
Staring at a tough deficit, the Captains showed heart and continued to battle until the bitter end. In the fourth, Moloney broke free on a clear attempt and motored right through the last line of defense before unleashing a dagger with his long pole. Two minutes later, Foster had a great run as the junior whistled a shot to the back of the net for his first goal before assisting on a strike by Dave Magdeburger.
 
Down by 10 with seven minutes left, CNU continued to chip away at the deficit. Following a shot by Crist, Geise made a heads-up play as he jumped on the loose ball before driving home a second-chance goal. Moments later, the defense came through with a solid run as Drew Cornell forced a turnover before the squad's man-down unit killed a late penalty.
 
Following that defensive stand, Foster capped off his day with two late goals, including one off a feed from Albright, to wrap up the scoring.
 
Overall, CNU held a 45-40 edge in shots and a slim 35-34 lead in ground balls. The Captains also forced 16 turnovers. Along with Moloney's big day, Hayden, Mabry, Cornell, and Harrison Drier all caused a pair of miscues. Drier also added four ground balls, while Hayden scooped up six.
 
Christopher Newport will be back in action on Wednesday when the team heads to Virginia Wesleyan for a 7 p.m. contest.
 
---CNU---