NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Combining a breathtaking offensive assault with a suffocating defensive effort, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team registered the program's first-ever postseason victory as CNU toppled Southern Virginia, 19-5, during the first round of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament on a gorgeous Tuesday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
Piecing together a well-balanced team effort, Christopher Newport put on a show for the hometown crowd. Leading the attack, Matthew Crist registered eight points, which tied the second-highest single-game output in program history. Meanwhile, Will Geise drove home a game-high five goals. That equaled the fifth-highest single-game performance by a Captain.
 
Incredibly, with their efforts on Tuesday, Crist and Geise both bumped their season point totals to 54. That matches the program's single-season record. Crist's 37 goals this year also tie the top mark in CNU history.
 
On the other side of the field, Brandon Moloney and Michael Mabry led a vicious defensive effort that terrorized the Knights throughout the game. Moloney eventually finished with eight caused turnovers, which established a new single-game record. Mabry, who started his record-setting 63rd game on Tuesday, also made his presence felt with six caused turnovers. That stands as the second-highest single-game total.
 
Rounding out the history makers, Matt Hayden made nine saves against Southern Virginia, which elevated his season-total to 176. That equals Andy McGregor's record established during the 2013 campaign.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 13-4 on the season and advances to the CAC semifinals for a Saturday bout at No. 10 York (Pa.). Southern Virginia wraps up its year with a 6-10 record.
 
Early in the contest, the Knights actually nailed down a 2-1 edge despite an early strike by Geise. Unfazed by the early missteps, the Captains settled in and retaliated. Crist was nothing short of sensational during the comeback as he roped a rocket and assisted on a bullet by Drew Magnusson to give CNU a slim edge.
 
Later, Crist capped off the first by showing hustle and resilience. With less than two minutes remaining in the opening period, he jumped on his own rebound after a late shot was stoned. After grabbing the roller, he flipped the ball to Ryan Mills, who sailed a pinpoint pass over the top of the defense to Joey Rolando. After grabbing the feed, the senior standout showed off his range with a screamer from the top of the zone to secure a 4-2 edge at the end of the first period.
 
Holding a modest two-goal lead, Christopher Newport went to work on both sides of the ball to extend the advantage. On the defensive end, Mabry was a savage as the fourth-year bruiser forced an errant shot with a huge hit at the start of the second period before dropping the hammer on the same attacker a few minutes later to end another threat.
 
Meanwhile, on the other end, the CNU offense continued to find daylight. Dave Magdeburger came through with his first goal after rolling around the top of the defense before splitting a pair of Knights with some high heat. Later, Geise capitalized on a pair of quick feeds by Crist and Rolando before Randy Foster unleashed a man-up missile to secure a 7-2 lead with four minutes remaining in the first half.
 
Equally unrelenting on the defensive side, Drew Cornell and Trevor Royce both blocked SVU shots, Shane Palmateer abused a midfielder with a bone-crushing hit, and Hayden made a tremendous pointblank save to keep the Knights under control. Capitalizing on the defensive effort, Shane McKenna elevated a burner just under the crossbar and Geise slipped a dagger inside the far post to nail down a 9-2 edge entering the break.
 
Staring at a seven-goal deficit, Southern Virginia tried to find an opening in the CNU back line, but the Captains crashed down on several runs early in the third quarter. Mabry caught up to a breakaway and forced a turnover with a back check, while Moloney caused two more miscues with bruising hits to keep the Knights on their heels.
 
Later, Crist stepped up with a huge four-minute run to extend the lead midway through the quarter. First, he found Magnusson on the back side for a quick goal before snapping off his own spinner to snatch an 11-2 edge. Moments later, he showed his toughness as he stood up against a brutal hit that drew a flag while still managing to drive home his third goal of the game.
 
Entering the final stanza fostering a 10-goal lead, the Captains added a solid punctuation mark to the contest with an electric fourth quarter. Fittingly, Crist kicked things off with his fourth goal before Rolando added his second. Although the Knights responded and managed to toss a pair on the board, Geise shot back with two of his own, including a great finish following a hard hit on the interior.
 
Leading 16-4 with six minutes remaining, CNU showed off some of its youth to wrap up the victory. Clay Miller slipped a pass to Andrew Ashley, who deposited a goal from close range. Later, Will Ervin connected with Nick Auger for the squad's 18th strike before Hunter King stepped up for the veterans with an impressive goal.
 
With less than three minutes left, the senior found himself isolated on the far side of the field. Facing a pair of defenders, he dodged and rolled back to gain a little space before whistling a submarine shot through the defense to lock up the 19-5 victory.
 
Overall, CNU held a 56-22 edge in shots and a 44-30 lead in ground balls. The Captains also won 15 of the game's 28 faceoffs behind a solid group effort. Tony Cruz won three before exiting the game late in the first quarter. Stepping up in his absence, Palmateer won nine faceoffs, Nick Mandros secured a pair, and Moloney rounded out his record-setting day with one of his own. He also collected six ground balls to go along with his eight caused turnovers.
 
---CNU---