NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Facing the nation's top-ranked scoring offense, the 18th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team flashed some firepower of its own as six players registered multi-goal efforts to carry CNU past Illinois Wesleyan, 24-14, during a non-conference shootout on a bitterly cold Wednesday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
Leading the way, Matthew Crist contributed eight points, including five goals. Lucas Barry also struck five times, while Dylan Rice contributed four goals and three assists. Shane McKenna and Drew Magnusson also chipped in with hat-tricks as the Captains posted the third-highest single-game scoring output in program history.
 
Meanwhile, on the defensive side, CNU slowed down Illinois Wesleyan, who entered the contest averaging an NCAA-best 21.60 goals per game. Max Wayne forced four turnovers, while Drew Cornell caused three and grabbed four ground balls. Between the pipes, Andrew Clark earned his second collegiate victory after pocketing 10 saves in 44 minutes of action.
 
With the win, Christopher Newport improves to 7-0 on the season and extends its program-best home winning streak to 15 straight games dating back to 2016. The setback drops Illinois Wesleyan to 4-2.
 
In a sign of things to come, the Captains struck first on an extra-man opportunity after McKenna capitalized on a feed from Jackson Deal less than three minutes into regulation. Continuing the early onslaught, the hosts showed off their physicality. Magnusson hammered home the second goal after brushing off a hit on the interior before Crist pin-balled off a pair of defenders but never lost his footing on the way to the game's third goal.
 
Following an Illinois Wesleyan timeout, CNU stretched the lead to four with another man-up tally after Will Stockhausen connected with Crist, who snapped off his second straight strike.
 
Looking at a fast 4-0 deficit, the Titans fired back. Although McKenna contributed his second goal of the game in the fifth minute, the visitors sunk four of the next five tallies to inch within one at 5-4. Hoping to pull even, Illinois Wesleyan had possession, but Cornell grabbed a loose ball and jump-started the clear. Facing a 10-man ride, Will Cogan eventually launched the ball down the field. After a perfect bounce off a Titan, Rice stormed in, secured the hopper, and laced an empty-net dart to regain a two-goal cushion.
 
Retaliating, IWU landed the next two blows to knot the score at six before Rice came back for more. With just seconds remaining in the opening quarter, Magnusson found the freshman phenom, who split the wickets of the Titan goalkeeper for his second tally of the period.
 
With some momentum, the hosts came out firing in the second quarter. Deal led the way with two straight daggers, including a low liner that bounced into the back of the net. Later, Crist set up a pair of goals with relentless defense. The senior forced two turnovers, including a tremendous play along the far sideline to snare an Illinois Wesleyan pass before the visitors could clear the zone. Griffin Hanes eventually came through with the first goal during that run before Crist assisted on a bullet by Barry to snatch an 11-6 lead.
 
Although the Titans were able to find some daylight late in the first half, the Captains kept their five-goal cushion entering the break. McKenna and Magnusson both contributed late strikes before the hosts added one final blow just before halftime. Giving Tony Cruz a breather at the 'X,' Corey Hart stepped in and won a battle before Christopher Albright secured possession. Flashing the team's passing skills, Albright connected with Crist, who immediately found Barry for the squad's 14th goal.
 
Staring at a 14-9 deficit entering the break, the visitors quickly tossed a pair of scores on the board to open the third period. Needing to steal back some of the momentum, Wayne stripped an attacker deep inside the defensive zone before Jake O'Connell grabbed the roller. Bolting down the field, Magnusson eventually capitalized on the turnover with his third goal of the game to grab a 15-11 lead.
 
Still chipping away, Illinois Wesleyan added three more goals during a two-minute stretch. Trying to keep pace, Crist assisted on another laser by Barry before O'Connell set up a last-minute tally. After Cogan forced a turnover, O'Connell burst right through the IWU midfield.  Storming up the field, he eventually tossed the ball to Crist, who added the final punctuation mark of the third quarter to nail down a 17-14 edge.
 
Kicking off the fourth period, Illinois Wesleyan was hit with a non-releasable one-minute penalty. Taking advantage, Stockhausen and Barry added back-to-back man-up goals before Rice tacked on another bullet just a few moments later to steal a 20-14 lead early in the final stanza.
 
Controlling the momentum, Christopher Newport slowly put the game out-of-reach. Rice put on a passing clinic in the middle of the period. First, he dished to Barry, who contributed his final goal. Minutes later, after taking a stick to the back, Rice crashed down to the turf but never lost control of the ball. Bouncing back, he shrugged off the violence and flipped the ball to Crist, who jammed one home from the far side of the field.
 
Meanwhile, the defense also did its job. Although the Captains were hit with a pair of late penalties, the downers were tremendous. Killing the first penalty, Miles Collins torched the Titans and blew right up the sidelines for a man-down clear. After a second penalty, Clark made a phenomenal save on a pointblank shot. Shortly thereafter, Albright cleared the zone and avoided a check near midfield with a great cutback, which sent a Titan stumbling towards the turf.
 
As the defense clamped down on the IWU attack, Christopher Newport added two final scores. McKenna rolled under a defender and connected with Crist, who sank his last goal with four minutes left in the game. Two minutes later, Rice capped off his day following a feed from Deal to close out the 24-14 victory.
 
Overall, CNU held a 48-38 edge in shots and a 45-33 advantage in ground balls. Battling the nation's 11th-ranked faceoff unit, Cruz won 20 of his attempts and snatched eight ground balls. O'Connell also collected eight rollers, while Crist pocketed six.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on March 21 when the squad heads to Virginia Wesleyan for a 7 p.m. battle.
 
---CNU---