FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Capitalizing on huge efforts across the field and an impressive second-half explosion, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team stretched its winning streak to seven straight games as the Captains took down Mary Washington, 14-9, during a Capital Athletic Conference showdown on Wednesday at the Battleground Turf Field.
 
On the offensive end, Will Geise remained steadfast in his commitment to break every conceivable program record. Against the Eagles, he notched six points, including four assists. His final helper marked the 59th of his career, pushing him past John Thompson's previous school standard of 58 set from 2012-15.
 
Meanwhile, fellow senior Randy Foster added a team-high six goals, which equaled the second-highest single-game effort in program history. Matthew Crist also contributed three assists, while Ryan Mills chipped in with two points and doubled as a vacuum around the field, picking up 14 ground balls. That effort established a new single-game record, topping Michael Turk's previous mark of 13 set against Greensboro on April 14, 2007.
 
Along with the offensive standouts, Tony Cruz was a beast at the 'X.' Putting in a long day, he won 19 of 26 faceoffs and added eight ground balls. His 19 victories stand as the eighth-highest single-game total in program history. Matt Hayden also came through with 13 saves to earn the victory.
 
With the win, Christopher Newport improves to 8-2 on the season, including 3-0 in league action. The setback drops Mary Washington to 4-7 overall with a 1-3 mark in the CAC.
 
Although the Eagles opened the scoring early in the first quarter, Foster retaliated. Slicing up the UMW defense, he blistered two straight goals to snatch a quick lead. Moments later, after Crist cut off a Mary Washington clear attempt, Drew Magnusson stung the squad's third strike to secure a 3-1 lead with eight minutes left in the period.
 
Despite a pair of goals by the Eagles at the tail end of the quarter, Foster struck again off a feed from Geise to help sustain a 4-3 edge entering the second stanza.
 
Carrying the momentum with a fresh 15 minutes on the clock, Trevor Royce forced an early turnover and Conor James grabbed the ground ball before Foster snapped off another rope for a 5-3 edge. Unfortunately, the Eagles found their rhythm. Completely erasing their deficit, the hosts scraped together three straight goals, including a man-up strike, to steal a 6-5 lead entering halftime.
 
Unfazed by Mary Washington's resurgence, Christopher Newport regrouped in the break and came out re-energized. First, on the defensive end, Hayden swallowed an early shot to stymie a brief run by the Eagles before Drew Cornell hammered an attacker to force a turnover. Less than a minute later, the long-pole defender added a highlight on the other side as Cornell capitalized on a feed from Mills to knot the game at six.
 
Still pushing, Cruz won the ensuing faceoff before Shane McKenna smoked a man-up missile to retake a 7-6 lead. Although the hosts were able to tie the score at seven, the Captains quickly broke the deadlock. Crist kicked off the late surge with a dagger off a feed from Geise before Spencer Shipman added his own tally to wrap up the third with a 9-7 lead.
 
Hoping to close out the game early in the fourth, Geise slammed home his first strike to gain a three-goal cushion, but Mary Washington fired right back with two straight tallies to inch within one.
 
Facing another UMW resurgence, Christopher Newport settled in again and answered with an impressive outburst. Looking to close out what he started, Foster laced back-to-back goals during a minute-long surge to push the lead to three. Still looking for more, Crist assisted on two straight tallies by Mills and Geise during a nine-second window to secure a comfortable 14-9 lead and close out the victory.
 
Overall, CNU held a 45-34 advantage in shots and a 54-46 edge in ground balls. Along with Mills' work, Jake O'Connell picked up six ground balls, and Thomas Courtney added four.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad heads to Frostburg State for a 6 p.m. battle.
 
---CNU---