ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Dylan Rice established a new single-season program record for points by a freshman, while Matthew Crist continued his torrid run with seven points, including five assists, as the 15th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team pushed past St. Mary's (Md.), 13-8, during a Capital Athletic Conference clash on Saturday afternoon at Seahawk Stadium.
 
During the game, Rice posted four points, which bumped his season total to 47. That stands as a new freshman record at CNU, topping the previous standard of 44 set by Britt Hoover in 2010. He also sits just four goals shy of matching Hoover's freshman mark of 37. Meanwhile, fellow first-year star Jackson Deal dished out a pair of assists. His 20 helpers this season are tied for the most by a freshman in school history, equaling the record set by Justin King in 2008.
 
Among the veteran performers on Saturday, Crist led all players with seven points, while Lucas Barry added a hat-trick. Tony Cruz also won 17 of his 24 faceoffs and grabbed eight ground balls to help CNU control possession.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 10-1 on the season, including 3-0 in league action. The setback drops St. Mary's (Md.) to 3-8 overall and 0-2 in CAC play.
 
In a tough battle throughout the game, the Captains found themselves deadlocked at seven with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. Needing a spark, Rice stepped up. The freshman kicked things off with an assist on a dart by Barry before capping off the period with a dagger of his own to grab a 9-7 edge entering the final period.
 
Looking for a little breathing room, the CNU attack went back to work early in the fourth quarter. Crist flashed his full arsenal with a goal and two quick assists, including a pinpoint pass that set up a laser by Drew Magnusson. Shortly thereafter, following a nice defensive stand capped off by Christopher Albright's caused turnover, Crist dished to Barry, who jammed home his third goal to snatch a 13-7 lead with six minutes remaining in regulation.
 
Although St. Mary's (Md.) was able to toss a late goal on the board, the Captains quieted their late push. Scott McAneney made a pair of saves, and Phoenix Hines forced a miscue to help seal the five-goal triumph.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 37-32 advantage in shots and a 33-27 lead in ground balls. Along with Cruz's eight rollers, Jake O'Connell, Conor James, and Shane McKenna all picked up three apiece.
 
Before the late surge in the third and fourth quarters, the Captains faced a back-and-forth battle early in the contest. Crist and Rice landed strikes to kick off the scoring in the first stanza. Later, following St. Mary's first tally, Magnusson laced a goal to grab a 3-1 edge early in the second period.
 
Fighting back, the Seahawks sank three straight goals in the middle of the quarter to grab their first lead at 4-3. Needing to quiet the hosts, O'Connell ended an SMC run after grabbing a ground ball following a pipe shot. Minutes later, Will Cogan closed down another threat with a caused turnover to keep the deficit at one.
 
With the defense doing its job, the CNU attack regained its rhythm in the final minute of the first half. Stockhausen evened the score at four with 31 seconds left. Following a quick faceoff victory by Cruz, the senior capitalized on his own efforts. After grabbing a feed from Stockhausen, Cruz slammed home his second goal of the year to gain a 5-4 edge entering the break.
 
Keeping up the pressure in the third quarter, Barry stretched the lead to four with his first tally before Glenn Doering found an opening following a feed from Griffin Hanes to secure a 7-4 advantage. Although the hosts managed to erase their three-goal deficit with a rapid-fire assault in the middle of the stanza, Christopher Newport never fell behind again and used a late push to ease into the victory.
 
Along with McAneney's two saves in the fourth quarter, Andrew Clark also came through with three stops and earned the victory for his efforts. Ross Snodderly made 12 saves for the Seahawks.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the squad hosts No. 11 Salisbury at 7 p.m.
 
---CNU---