NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Piecing together a rally for the ages, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team erased a pair of five-goal deficits behind a timely offensive attack and a devastating defensive performance as CNU toppled 15th-ranked Frostburg State, 12-11, during a thrilling Capital Athletic Conference battle on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
Staring at a 6-1 hole early in the second quarter, Christopher Newport erupted. Stunning the stout FSU defense, the Captains eventually scored 11 of the game's last 16 goals, including four in the final quarter, to post the come-from-behind victory. Matthew Crist put together another remarkable effort as the second-year sensation led the squad with four goals. Meanwhile, Randy Foster tacked on five points, including the game-winning strike with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.
 
On the defensive end, the Captains benefited from a pair of record-breaking performances. Brandon Moloney helped suffocate the Bobcats with three caused turnovers and 10 ground balls. His final caused turnover, which helped ice the win late in the fourth quarter, also marked his 29th of the year. That established a new single-season record, topping the previous mark of 28 set by Teddy Pekalski in 2011 and matched by Brenden Dwyer in 2014.
 
In addition to Moloney's historic showing, Matt Hayden also added his name to the record books. Coming through with 10 saves and a pair of ground balls, he eventually recorded his 28th career victory. That moved him past the old mark of 27, which was set by Andy McGregor, who was fittingly on-site during the game as a member of the CNU broadcast crew.
 
Along with Moloney and Hayden, Michael Mabry forced four turnovers for the Captains, while Jake O'Connell and William Gingerich each caused a pair to quiet the Bobcat attack.
 
With the win, Christopher Newport improves to 8-2 on the season, including 2-0 in the CAC. The setback is the first of the year for Frostburg State, who falls to 11-1 overall and 2-1 in league action.
 
After the Bobcats stormed out to a fast 6-1 lead, the Captains showed enormous heart and dug in. Refusing to be bullied by the visitors, CNU began to fight back. With 12 minutes left in the first half, Joey Rolando kicked off the comeback. Finding himself matched up with a short-stick defender, he took advantage of the situation and rolled to his right before unleashing a dart to the back of the net to pull the hosts within four.
 
Although Frostburg State retaliated less than a minute later, Crist put the team on his back with a momentum-turning run. Carving up the Bobcats, he cut through the back line for a pair of goals. First, he secured a feed from Foster and slammed one home along the near post. One minute later, he rolled free on the interior and took a pass from Will Geise before lining his second strike just inside the far post to pull the squad within three at 7-4.
 
With the offense finding its rhythm, the defense also stepped up its game with a sensational stretch. Tony Cruz hustled after a faceoff win by the Bobcats and used a great stick check to dislodge the ball and regain possession. Shortly thereafter, Hayden made an acrobatic save before Harrison Drier came through with a great ride and cut off a roll-back opportunity to disrupt FSU's rhythm and force a timeout.
 
Although the visitors managed to add their eighth goal shortly after the stoppage, CNU brushed aside the setback. First, on the defensive end, Mabry and Gingerich forced turnovers to shut down an FSU run late in the half. Moments later, after Christopher Albright won a sprint for a loose ball, Foster unleashed a screamer that cut right through the Bobcats to pull the hosts back within three entering halftime.
 
With the momentum planted firmly on their sideline, the Captains continued their comeback in the third quarter. First, Geise drove home a strike off a quick pass from Ryan Mills before the defense settled in again. Mabry forced another miscue before Hayden put together a ridiculous run in the crease. The junior made two early stops in the period before a highlight-reel save in the middle of the stanza.
 
With a flag down on a delayed penalty against the Captains, a Bobcat snuck free inside the CNU zone. Going straight to the goal, he found himself one-on-one with Christopher Newport's keeper. Showing off his stick skills, the attacker faked high, faked low, and attempted to shake Hayden with a dodge. Unfazed, Hayden read every move and was one step ahead before stoning the ensuing shot to keep the deficit at two.
 
Although Frostburg State eventually capitalized on the penalty and pulled ahead, 9-6, Foster had an answer. First, the junior found a sliver of daylight in the top left corner of the cage for his second goal. Moments later, with time running out in the third, he used a skip pass to find Dave Magdeburger, who capitalized on the feed with his first tally to chip the lead down to one at 9-8.
 
After CNU was hit with another penalty late in the third, Hayden made a phenomenal kick save to brush aside an opportunity by the Bobcats, which sent the game into the final quarter.
 
Looking to even things, Christopher Newport exploded early in the fourth. First, Crist rolled behind the crease before curling around the far post. On the doorstep, he quickly laid in his third goal of the game less than a minute into the frame to knot the score at nine. Moments later, after Hayden intercepted a pass to close off an FSU run, the Captains took control.
 
With possession, Christopher Newport showed patience and worked the ball around the FSU zone. Eventually, the referees put a shot clock on the hosts before Shane McKenna made the Bobcats pay. Needing to shoot, he dodged a defender at the top of the zone, slipped free, and blistered a bullet into the back of the net to give CNU its first lead at 10-9 with 11 minutes remaining.
 
Ranked 15th in the nation for a reason, Frostburg State retaliated. In less than a minute, the Bobcats tossed back-to-back goals on the board to retake an 11-10 edge midway through the period.
 
Unfazed by the quick-strike attack, Christopher Newport settled in again. Cruz won the ensuing faceoff before Moloney jumped on the ground ball. After rolling into the FSU zone, Rolando drew the defense to the far side of the field. With the back line over-pursuing, Crist wiggled free and grabbed a pass before unloading a spinner into the cage to knot the score at 11.
 
Back on even ground, Hayden kept the Bobcats in-check. Following a fast clear by the visitors, FSU had numbers, but the junior juggernaut stood tall during the unsettled situation and made the save to gain possession and flip the field.
 
With time flying off the scoreboard, the Captains kept calm and methodically worked the ball around the zone with two minutes left. Following a timeout, the referees put another shot clock on CNU. Once again, Christopher Newport showed composure and refused to rush a shot. Eventually, with time winding down, Foster cut in and grabbed a pass from Rolando before blasting a bullet through Frostburg State to snatch a 12-11 advantage with 1:40 left on the clock.
 
Although the visitors won the ensuing faceoff, CNU buckled down. Drier came through with another huge ride before O'Connell bodied up a shooter and forced him around the crease. Seconds later, the Bobcats whipped a shot along the far post, but Hayden made the pointblank save. Although FSU retained possession, Christopher Newport called for a timeout to give the back line a breather.
 
The break paid immediate dividends. With less than 40 seconds left, Moloney intercepted a pass for his record-breaking 28th caused turnover of the year. After O'Connell gained possession and cleared the zone with a bruising run across midfield, the sophomore faced a triple team along the sidelines. Although the Bobcats managed to force a loose ball with just a few ticks left on the clock, Crist scurried in and grabbed the roller before running off the final seconds to seal the win.
 
Overall, CNU held a 36-33 edge in shots during the game, while Frostburg State led the way in ground balls, 37-35. The Bobcats also won 16 of the 26 faceoffs, but the Captains forced 15 turnovers and Hayden was a wall between the pipes to keep FSU in-check. 

Making the win even sweeter, it capped off a grueling stretch for Christopher Newport. Starting on March 16, the squad faced five games in 10 days, including three contests against teams listed in the USILA national rankings. Despite the daunting schedule, CNU won four of the five contests, including wins over the 15th-ranked Bobcats and 11th-ranked Roanoke Maroons.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on March 30 when the Captains host Mary Washington in a 7 p.m. battle.
 
---CNU---