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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. --Playing in a steady rain against Greensboro College in the 2016 Joe Pombriant / CNU Soccer Classic, the Christopher Newport men's soccer team rocked the Pride with a veritable deluge of goals in the opening half to power past their former conference foes by a final score of 7-2.  Seven different players poured in goals for the Captains (1-0-0) in the season opener, while three of them also connected on assists. 

After a 2015 season that saw the Captains feature one of the best defenses in program history, but fall short offensively at times, the story shifted at the outset of 2016. The first tally came just 1:13 into the game, on a beautiful combination play for the score.  Junior midfielder Andrew Gogolin got things started with a picture-perfect cross from the left side, directly to the head of newcomer Stephen Durbin. Durbin angled his pass toward the middle of the box, where sophomore Zachary Ballard crashed in to head home the first strike of the game. 

Over the years, the Captains and Pride have met 48 times, with a 22-22-4 record in one of the longest standing rivalries in program history. So when Greensboro answered right back in the sixth minute of action, it appeared the teams might be headed for another classic tangle between two talented, physical teams, but the Captains' offense had other plans. 

CNU re-took the lead in the 17th minute with a single goal, and then the flood gates opened in a two-and-a-half minute stretch in the middle of the period. The Captains put away three goals in the span of just 2:15, setting a program record for the fastest three consecutive goals in program history. The mark also ranks 12th all-time in NCAA Division III history, and is the fastest spurt since three straight from Rutgers-Camden against TCNJ in 2012 (2:09). 

Durbin gave the Captains the lead for good in the 17th minute by sticking with a play in the box. Patrick Burns set him up by getting loose on the left side of the box and shooting wide right, where Durbin crashed in for the open look on the back post to give CNU a 2-1 lead. Then, rookie James Lee scored what would hold up as the eventual gamewinner to kick off the quick run of goals for CNU. Jimmy Grace slipped a pass to the top of the box for Lee, who spun to the middle as he collected the ball and ripped a hard shot into the middle of the goal. That tally came at the 29:39 mark in the first half, and was followed quickly just 1:03 later by an unassisted strike from Gogolin. The junior split a pair of defenders down the middle of the field and unleashed a missle under the goalkeeper into the left side of the netting. 

The quick run would finish at the 32:04 mark when Sammy Blosser lifted a pass to rookie Jordan Boone on the left side. Boone caught the goalkeeper out of position and chipped the ball for a long-arcing shot that floated in for the score, putting CNU up 5-1. 

With command of the game, CNU would add one more goal before halftime to take a 6-1 advantage into break. Teig Lesko powered through a rebound of Hunter Simons first attempt to score the sixth goal of the game for CNU, as the torrential assault continued. 

Early in the second half, a lightning delay forced the teams to evacuate the stadium for just over half an hour before returning to complete the contest. Soon after play resumed, Blosser punctuated the Captains' stellar performance with a nifty goal off a corner kick, bending in a low shot just around the near post. 

Greensboro would connect on their second goal of the contest in the 78th minute when Obi Collins scored off a misplay in the back. Collins cleaned up a bouncing ball in the box for an unassisted tally, cutting the Captains' final margin of victory down to five. 

In goal, sophomore Zach Pedini picked up the win after playing over 64 minutes with three saves and one goal allowed. Senior Sam Lesko played the remainder of the game to finish up the win. 

In all, 28 Captains saw the field in the season opener, as CNU picked up its largest margin of victory and most goals scored in a game since an 8-0 victory over Southern Virginia in 2014. Greensboro goalkeeper, Jaime Payamps, allowed just 23 goals in 20 games played in 2015, but gave up a career-high seven in net for the Pride on Friday night. 

Due to the effect of Tropical Storm Hermine on the Hampton Roads area, the Captains' next game, scheduled for 1:00 pm on Sunday, has been moved back to a 4:30 pm start, immediately following the CNU Football game. The Captains will take on Allegheny College (0-0-1), who played to a 2-2 draw against Virginia Wesleyan College (0-0-1) in the opener of the 2016 Joe Pombriant / CNU Soccer Classic.