NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Will Geise continued his historic run and established a new program record for career goals as the senior erupted for eight points, including six strikes, to carry the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team past Wheaton (Mass.), 19-7, during a dominant performance on an arctic Wednesday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
Geise, the reigning Capital Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week, followed up his decorated efforts last week with a history-making performance on Wednesday. The senior sniped six goals, which bumped his career total to 90. That broke the previous program record of 86 career goals, which was established by Ryan Merrell from 2007-09 and equaled by John Thompson from 2012-15.
 
Along with breaking the goals mark, he also moved within two points of matching Thompson's career record of 144 total points.
 
While Geise was setting the record books on fire, Matthew Crist was making a little history of his own. The junior posted seven points during the game, becoming just the eighth player in program history to reach 100 for his career. Ryan Mills also added six points, including four goals, while Randy Foster struck twice as well.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport extends its winning streak to four straight and moves to 5-2 on the season. The setback drops Wheaton to 1-4.
 
At the start of the contest, the two squads looked evenly matched as they fought to a 2-2 deadlock, which included early goals by Mills and Geise. Looking to break free, Jake O'Connell forced a turnover after a Wheaton timeout before Shane McKenna capitalized on the other end as he wrapped around the top of the zone and unleashed a burner to give the hosts a 3-2 edge at the end of the first quarter.
 
In the second stanza, the two squads traded goals, including a dart by Geise, before the Captains erupted and took control. First, Mills and Crist ran a little give-and-go, which ended with Crist's first goal of the game. Two minutes later, Drew Cornell forced a turnover, and Trevor Royce pounced on the roller before motoring his way into the offensive zone.
 
Looking to dish the ball, the defensive bruiser fed a perfect pass to Mills, who punched one in along the right pipe to grab a 6-3 lead. Continuing the surge, Geise added his record-setter following a Wheaton penalty. With a man advantage, Lucas Barry found Geise, who buried his 87th career strike in the top corner of the cage to lock up the record and a four-goal edge.
 
After showing the world his finishing skills, Geise also did a little facilitating to keep the offensive streak going. With three minutes left in the half, he floated a long pass across the zone to Christopher Albright, who snatched it on the run and laced his first goal of the year for an 8-3 lead. Moments later, Foster burned a defender before cranking a shot that settled under the crossbar to push Christopher Newport's advantage to six.
 
Although Wheaton was able to respond just before half, the Captains regrouped in the break and came out rolling in the third quarter. In the first four minutes of the period, Crist worked his way in deep, took a hit, and scored along the crease before Geise slipped free for two more tallies to push the lead to 12-4.
 
While the offense was lighting up the Lyons, the CNU defense also smothered the opposition. Killing off a man-down situation, Will Cogan jumped into the passing lane and batted down a feed before the Captains cleared the zone. Moments later, Royce pieced together a tremendous run as he bodied up an attacker and forced an errant pass before jumping on a roller to clamp down on the next WC surge as well.
 
Meanwhile, the attack never lost its rhythm. Closing out the third quarter, Mills put his accuracy on display as the senior had nothing more than a sliver of daylight while facing a tough angle on the far side of the field. Despite his positioning, he had enough room to slip one into the back of the net to nail down a 13-4 lead entering the fourth.
 
Looking to make one last statement, CNU kicked off the final period with another ridiculous run. In less than a minute, the squad tossed three more goals on the board as Crist converted a man-up tally, Mills laced his fourth of the game, and Foster unleashed a long-range rocket on the way to a 16-4 advantage.
 
With little left to prove, the hosts closed out the game in style. First, on the defensive side, Matt Hayden, Scott McAneney, and Matt Scott all made saves during their time in the crease, while China Moon swallowed up a midfielder and forced a turnover. Meanwhile, O'Connell continued to blow through the Lyons on clears, including a physical attempt in which he lowered his shoulder and buried a defender to push the ball into the attacking zone.
 
Meanwhile, on the other side, Geise capped off his day with a final goal with six minutes left in regulation before Barry and Jacob Hale snapped off the last two strikes to wrap up the 19-7 victory.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 55-33 advantage in shots and a 37-30 lead in ground balls. The Captains also won 21 of the 30 faceoffs, including an 11-for-15 effort by Tony Cruz. Nick Kirschke won five of his seven battles as well, and Shane Palmateer was 3-for-4.
 
On the defensive side, Cornell finished the game with three caused turnovers, while Royce and Cogan added two apiece. O'Connell picked up five ground balls and forced a miscue as well.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad hosts Marymount in the Capital Athletic Conference opener at 1 p.m.
 
---CNU---