LEXINGTON, Va. -- Despite a pair of goals from Will Geise and a three-point showcase by Matthew Crist, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team dropped its 2017 season opener as the Captains fell to No. 20 Washington & Lee, 14-6, during the first annual Virginia "Lacrosse the Nations" Cup on Wednesday evening at Wilson Field.
 
Trailing by three at halftime, CNU stumbled early in the second half and was outscored 5-1 in the third quarter as W&L grabbed control and inched towards the victory. With the setback, the Captains fall to 0-1 on the season, while the Generals even their record at 1-1.
 
On an individual level, Crist picked up where he left off last year with a strong junior debut. The third-year standout, who set a single-season program record with 58 points in 2016, kicked off the new year with three points, including a pair of assists. Geise also struck twice, while Ryan Mills and reigning All-American Randy Foster added a goal and an assist apiece.
 
Defensively, Matt Hayden contributed 11 saves between the pipes. Conor James also pieced together a strong collegiate debut with two caused turnovers and five ground balls, while Foster forced a pair of miscues as well. Meanwhile, Nick Kirschke went 8-for-14 on faceoffs, and Tony Cruz won five of his eight attempts as well.
 
Having already played a game this year, the Generals looked comfortable at the start and jumped out to a fast advantage. Although Crist set up a pair of first-quarter strikes by Foster and Geise, the Captains found themselves staring at a 4-2 deficit after 15 minutes. Despite the early stumble, Christopher Newport showed resiliency on both sides of the ball.
 
Early in the second period, Hayden went down to his knees to cut off a low screamer along the far post to quiet an early W&L surge. Moments later, Mills showed tremendous hustle to save a loose ball from crossing the end line before circling around the back of the crease. After finding some space, he dished to Geise, who caught the pass in stride and fired a dagger to pull the visitors within one at 4-3.
 
Back within striking distance, Christopher Newport settled in on the defensive side. Christopher Albright jumped on a ground ball following an unforced error by the Generals to end W&L's initial response. Later, Jake O'Connell bruised an attacker, forced a turnover, and cleared the zone, while Crist, Drew Magnusson, and Nate Cho all laced shots on the other side. Unfortunately, their efforts were turned away by Washington & Lee's Nic Peterson, who made three saves in the middle of the stanza to keep the one-goal lead.
 
After the Generals managed to break a nine-minute scoreless streak to extend their advantage, James came through with a great stretch on the defensive end. The freshman bodied up a pair of attackers and forced two turnovers in less than a minute. He also collected a pair of ground balls during that stretch, but W&L never relented. Continuing to pressure the CNU back line, the hosts eventually added back-to-back goals to stretch the lead to 7-3 with just over a minute left in the first half.
 
Needing to respond, Cruz won the ensuing faceoff before Christopher Newport whistled for a timeout. Regrouping in the stoppage, the Captains quickly capitalized on the final possession as Foster fed Crist, who lined a long-range bullet into the back of the net to close out the first half.
 
Unfortunately, the second half was dominated early by the hosts. Washington & Lee tossed two quick goals on the board before Magnusson buried a rocket just beneath the crossbar to pull the Captains within four at 9-5. Despite the strike, the Generals shot right back and tacked on three straight tallies to grab a seven-goal edge. Later, with time running down in the third, W&L continued its assault and attempted to stretch the lead even further, but Thomas Courtney tied up an attacker on the near side of the field before James jumped on a loose ball to flip the zone and limit the damage.
 
Putting the game out-of-reach, Washington & Lee eventually struck twice in the fourth to help ice the victory. Refusing to quit, Mills had a nice run at the end of regulation as he intercepted a clearing feed with a minute left in regulation before adding the game's final strike. The senior wrapped around the goal, toed the crease, and snapped off a shot while diving around the goalie to close out the contest with one final highlight.
 
Overall, Washington & Lee held a 38-28 advantage in shots and converted both of the squad's extra-man opportunities. On the other side, CNU won 13 of the game's 22 faceoffs and led the way in ground balls, 35-30.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action next Wednesday when the Captains travel to Ashland for a 7 p.m. showdown with Randolph-Macon.
 
---CNU---