NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Six different Captains registered at least two points, while the CNU defense blanked Guilford for the first 50 minutes of game action as the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team upended the Quakers, 15-2, during a non-conference showdown on a breezy Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
Leading the offense, Drew Magnusson posted four points, including three goals. Randy Foster also notched a hat-trick, while Shane McKenna and Will Geise chipped in with three points apiece as well. Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Drew Cornell and Will Cogan both forced three turnovers, and Matt Hayden contributed five saves to earn the victory.
 
With the win, Christopher Newport improves to 3-2 on the season. The setback drops Guilford to 2-2.
 
From the outset, the Captains settled in on the offensive side. After working the ball around the zone for over two minutes without cracking the Guilford defense at the start of the game, CNU whistled for an early timeout. The break was just what the squad needed as Magnusson came out of the stoppage, ran right past the defense, and fired a bolt into the back of the net to snatch a fast 1-0 lead.
 
After cracking the scoreboard, the floodgates opened. Ryan Mills found an opening less than a minute later before Shane McKenna connected with Magnusson, who secured the feed and rifled a one-timer on the run to gain a 3-0 advantage. Moments later, Geise came through with a heads-up play to stretch the lead to four.
 
With only a few minutes left in the first quarter, Foster bulled his way into the attacking zone and unleashed a dagger on the move. Although his shot was deflected by a Quaker, Geise showed off his quick hands as he gobbled up the loose ball and immediately whistled a screamer into the net to earn a 4-0 edge entering the second stanza.
 
Still rolling, Matthew Crist joined the action as he curled around the back of the crease and buried a shot just two minutes into the second quarter. Moments later, Spencer Shipman found Foster, who received the pass at the top of the zone, dodged a defender, and sniped his second strike to earn a six-goal lead.
 
While the offense was erupting, the defense was just as dominant. The back line bruised any Quaker who attempted to slip free, while Hayden swallowed up three shots to keep Guilford off the board. Later, after the visitors earned a man-up situation late in the half, Cornell lowered the boom and absolutely destroyed an attacker right in front of the crease to kill off the penalty and keep Guilford scoreless entering the break.
 
Continuing the onslaught in the third quarter, Magnusson led the way. First, he found McKenna, who opened the second-half with a bullet. Less than a minute later, he did the work by himself as he went sprinting towards the cage, dove around a defender, and snapped off a perfectly placed shot while flying towards the turf to grab an 8-0 lead.
 
Remaining vigilant all over the field, Hayden made another save and Trevor Royce forced a turnover to give the ball back to the attack. Capitalizing on the defensive work, the Captains tossed four straight goals on the board during a rapid-fire assault. In the span of three minutes, McKenna and Lucas Barry both found the back of the net, while Foster sank a pair, including a highlight-reel strike as he dipped and dodged around a slew of defenders while weaving through 10 yards of clutter to score on the way to a 12-0 lead.
 
With more than enough cushion, Mills capped off the quarter with one final dagger to push the lead to 13 entering the final 15 minutes of action.
 
Although Guilford finally struck for a pair of goals early in the final period, Christopher Newport retaliated. Responding to the visitors' resurgence, Clay Miller came through with one of the most unique goals in program history. After Jacob Hale spun a shot that was saved by the Quakers' goalie, the ball settled at the mouth of the goal. Frantically searching for the ball, the goalie was unable to spot it, and before he could reach down, Miller burst in and poked it just enough to send it crawling across the line for the squad's 14th goal.
 
Moments later, Shipman wrapped around the zone and unloaded his first career strike to cap off the scoring and seal the victory.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 54-14 advantage in shots and a 38-19 edge in ground balls. Nick Kirschke led the team with five ground balls while also winning seven of his 11 faceoff attempts. Tony Cruz also went 6-for-7 on faceoffs, while Corey Hart remained perfect on the season after winning both of his battles.
 
CNU will return to action next Saturday when the squad hosts Messiah at 1 p.m.
 
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