YORK, Pa. -- Despite a phenomenal effort by Tony Cruz, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team could not keep pace with No. 5 York (Pa.) as the Spartans broke a tie early in the second quarter and never looked back on the way to a 19-9 victory during the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Kinsley Field.
 
During the game, Cruz pieced together a spectacular effort and helped control possession throughout the contest. In a showdown between two of the nation's top faceoff specialists, Cruz stole the show and won 20 of his 29 battles, marking the fifth-most wins in a single game in program history. Frustrating the Spartans from the start, he won 14 duels in the first half and eventually caused York to commit seven total faceoff violations.
 
With his performance on Saturday, Cruz also tied the program's career record with his 525th career faceoff win. Reaching the milestone in his junior campaign, he is now tied with former standout Ari Elgort for the all-time program lead.
 
Along with Cruz's work at the 'X,' Matthew Crist registered a hat-trick for the Captains, while Will Geise added a pair of strikes. Meanwhile, Matt Hayden came through with 13 saves on the defensive end, marking his 11th double-digit effort of the season.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 11-6. The victory moves York (Pa.) to 16-2 and vaults the Spartans into the CAC championship game, which will be played next Saturday at Salisbury.
 
After York managed to open the scoring two minutes into regulation, Christopher Newport settled in and battled back. First, Hayden plucked a loose ball out of the air to end a Spartan rally before the offense capitalized on the other side. Following a successful clear, Shane McKenna grabbed possession and fed a pass out to Geise at the top of the zone. With a clean look, the senior went low-to-high with a long-range missile to even the score at one.
 
Although the Spartans managed to tack on three straight goals to snatch a 4-1 lead, the Captains looked quite comfortable and never relented. With three minutes left in the opening period, Crist pieced together an impressive run to kick off the squad's late surge. After the Spartans dislodged a ball in front of the goal, Crist burst in and grabbed the roller. Still motoring, he circled around the entire crease and landed a diving blow on the doorstep to cut the deficit down to two.
 
Once again, YCP retaliated and added the team's fifth strike of the quarter, but Christopher Newport shot back with some last-second heroics. Following a CNU timeout, Crist found Geise, who slipped free on the interior before jamming home his second goal of the period with four seconds remaining. Fighting until the final horn, Cruz won the ensuing faceoff cleanly and shoveled the ball back to Randy Foster.
 
Beyond midfield, the senior All-American flashed his strength as he unleashed one of the more absurd goals in program history. From over 40 yards out, Foster laced a screamer that skipped off the turf and bounced perfectly under the crossbar for the squad's second goal in the span of three seconds.
 
The rapid-fire assault equaled the NCAA record for the fastest consecutive goals by a team, tying the three-second surge by the University of Delaware against Saint Joseph's on February 7, 2009.
 
With the momentum, Christopher Newport continued its rally early in the second quarter. After Cruz won the opening faceoff, Spencer Shipman capitalized. Less than three minutes into the period, the freshman rolled around the top of the zone and stung a one-timer just inside the right pipe to even the score at five.
 
Unfortunately, York had an emphatic response. Over the next six minutes, the Spartans scored four times to grab a 9-5 lead.
 
Looking to break the run, Shipman continued to shine on the offensive end. He chased down a ricochet, scooted around the back of the crease, and slipped a feed to Mills, who whistled a low liner past the goalie's knees to inch back within three.
 
However, York would not let the Captains get any closer. The hosts punched a goal at the end of the second period to enter halftime with a 10-6 edge. Then, after the break, the Spartans took advantage of a slew of CNU penalties, hammering home four man-up tallies during a six-goal blitz that lifted YCP to a 16-6 advantage with five minutes left in the third quarter.
 
Still battling despite the double-digit deficit, Conor James came through with a takeaway check to end a lengthy rally by the hosts before Max Fitzgerald forced another miscue to jumpstart a quick clear by the Captains. Taking advantage, Drew Magnusson lowered his shoulder on the offensive end, shoving his defender back a few steps before lacing a lengthy dart into the net to pull back within nine.
 
Despite the momentary rally, York retaliated with two straight goals to close out the third quarter with an 18-7 lead.
 
Refusing to go down quietly, Jake O'Connell put together a solid ride to stop a Spartan in his tracks early in the fourth quarter before James badgered an attacker all the way to midfield to help force a turnover. Moments later, Mills connected with Crist, who unleashed his second strike of the game from the middle of the zone to slip back within 10.
 
Later, after York added its final tally, O'Connell and Drew Cornell teamed up to strip an attacker from behind with eight minutes left, which helped set up CNU's last highlight. With time ticking down, Crist capped off his hat-trick as he charged towards the crease and went high with a dagger to close out the scoring.
 
Overall, York held a 43-29 advantage in shots and a 33-27 lead in ground balls. Meanwhile, behind Cruz's gutsy efforts, Christopher Newport won 20 of the game's 30 faceoffs. On an individual level, Cruz and O'Connell both finished with five ground balls, while Foster added four.
 
---CNU---