NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Deadlocked entering halftime, the 18th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team regrouped in the break and came out firing in the second half as CNU ran past Frostburg State on the way to a 13-7 victory during a Capital Athletic Conference slug-fest on a brisk Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.

Leading the charge, Dylan Rice came through with six points, including five goals. Four of his strikes came after halftime and two broke ties during a clutch performance by the first-year phenom. Meanwhile, Matthew Crist added a hat-trick as well, while Jackson Deal chipped in with four points, including a pair of assists. On the other side of the field, Will Cogan forced four turnovers and Phoenix Hines caused three miscues to help put a lid on the FSU attack.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 9-0, including 2-0 in league action. The setback drops Frostburg State to 4-5 with an 0-1 ledger in CAC play.

After scoring his 100th career goal in his last appearance on Wednesday, Crist quickly began work on his second hundred on Saturday. Less than three minutes into the game, Rice found Crist, who buried a beautiful turnaround bullet to snatch an early lead. Five minutes later, Griffin Hanes extended the advantage. On a clear attempt by the visitors, Hanes picked off a pass near midfield. In transition, he scorched the turf and skipped a dart just under the crossbar to push the edge to 2-0.

Although Frostburg State responded with the squad's first goal, the Captains continued to torment the Bobcats on clear attempts. With less than two minutes left in the opening period, Crist grabbed an errant pass and jump-started another rally. Drew Magnusson eventually capped off the possession with a bounce shot that gave the hosts a 3-1 lead.

Fighting back, the Bobcats evened the score in the second period. Although Rice came through with his first goal after circling the field from wing-to-wing, Frostburg State pumped in three of the next four to knot things at 4-4 entering the break.

Kicking off the second half, the two teams engaged in a much-anticipated battle. After Frostburg State was hit with a one-minute penalty, the potent CNU man-up unit squared off against the suffocating FSU man-down defense. In a bout featuring two of the top units in the country, the Captains prevailed. After working the ball around the zone, Deal fed back to Rice, who ripped a long-range dagger from the far side of the field to break the deadlock.

Once again, the Bobcats clawed back and tied things at five, but Christopher Newport bounced back on both sides of the field. First, on the defensive end, Drew Cornell deflected a pass along the interior before Deal pounced on the roller and cleared the zone. Three minutes later, the CNU attack took advantage with a rapid-fire assault.

With five minutes left in the third quarter, Rice found himself matched up one-on-one with a long pole. After burying his shoulder into the chest of the Bobcat, he freed up a little space before unleashing another bounce shot that blistered the back of the cage. Less than 30 seconds later, Will Stockhausen continued the run after brushing off a hit while lacing a missile over a pair of defenders to grab a 7-5 lead.

As the offense found its rhythm, the defense was ruthless on the other side. Andrew Clark came through with a tremendous left-foot kick save to stone a dart by Frostburg State. Moments later, Jake O'Connell and Conor James double-teamed an attacker at the top of the zone to force a turnover. Although the Bobcats regained possession shortly thereafter, Miles Collins came through with a textbook lift to disrupt a pass by an attacker and force the feed to sail out of bounds.

With time ticking down in the third quarter, Rice capitalized with three seconds left. After the ball was jostled around deep inside the offensive zone, a Bobcat defender momentarily picked it up. Refusing to back down, Rice swatted it out of his stick, grabbed the bouncer, and spun his fourth goal into the back of the net for an 8-5 lead.

Although Frostburg State opened the fourth quarter with a quick strike, Christopher Newport had an emphatic response. With 10 minutes left, Stockhausen drew a pair of defenders on the near side of the field before finding Rice, who took a step and unleashed another screamer to regain a three-goal edge. Just over a minute later, Deal slipped a pinpoint pass through the FSU defense. After taking control on the doorstep, Crist immediately punched home his second goal to grab a 10-6 edge.

Despite a goal by the Bobcats midway through the final period, Crist and Deal put on a show over the last six minutes to close out the contest. Crist opened things with his third tally before Hines forced a turnover and kicked off a quick clear with two minutes remaining. On the other side, Crist used a skip pass to find Deal, who broke out a pump fake before lining a shot past the keeper for a 12-7 edge. 

Just over 30 seconds later, Deal added the final punctuation mark as the freshman split three defenders while running circles around the Bobcats on the far side of the field. With an open cage, he eventually slipped inside and jammed home the squad's 13th goal to lock up the win.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 30-18 advantage in shots and a 32-14 edge in ground balls. Tony Cruz continued to dominate at the 'X,' winning 16 of the 23 faceoffs. He also grabbed eight ground balls, while James and Max Wayne collected three apiece.

CNU will return to action on March 28 when the squad heads to Salem for a 4 p.m. showdown with No. 10 Roanoke.

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