SALISBURY, Md. -- The 16th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team bowed out of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday evening as the Captains dropped a 14-3 decision to No. 7 Salisbury in the CAC semifinals at Sea Gull Stadium.
 
During the contest, Dylan Rice posted two points for CNU, while Lucas Barry and Shane McKenna also found the back of the net. Along with the offensive contributors, Scott McAneney came through with 11 saves, while Tony Cruz won 11 of his 18 faceoff attempts and secured three ground balls.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 14-4 on the season. The victory bumps Salisbury to 15-3 and earns the Sea Gulls a spot in the CAC Championship, which will be played on Saturday.
 
After the two teams engaged in a defensive battle during their first match-up of the season, the Sea Gulls found their rhythm on the offensive side early on Tuesday. The hosts struck three times in the opening three minutes before adding a fourth dagger just before the first quarter expired.
 
Needing to stem the tide, the Captains stepped up on the defensive side. Jackson Deal stuffed a run up the center of the defense before Phoenix Hines stripped the attacker from behind. Minutes later, Max Wayne cleaned up a scrum with a devastating hit that left a Sea Gull sprawled out on the field late in the first quarter.
 
In the second stanza, McAneney opened the period with a tremendous save before Drew Cornell grabbed the ground ball. Catching the Sea Gulls in transition, the attack went right to work. Finding an opening, the squad used precision passing to carve up the SU defense. Keeping the hosts on their heels, Drew Magnusson fed Hines, who quickly dished to Christopher Albright. Continuing the passing clinic, Matthew Crist eventually took control and laced a pinpoint feed over to Barry, who slammed home the squad's first strike on the doorstep to cut the deficit to 4-1.
 
Unfortunately, the Sea Gulls retaliated with two straight strikes before the Captains stepped up on the defensive end again. McAneney stoned a tough one-hopper by a long pole on a breakaway attempt. Minutes later, after a timeout, Jake O'Connell picked the pockets of a midfielder to clear the zone again.
 
Despite the defensive stand, Salisbury eventually tossed one more goal on the board just before halftime to secure a 7-1 edge entering the break.
 
With the momentum, the Sea Gulls continued to roll in the second half. Salisbury scored six straight goals in the third quarter to snatch a 13-1 advantage heading into the final 15 minutes.
 
Battling until the bitter end, Christopher Newport capitalized on an early man-up opportunity in the fourth quarter after Rice sniped from the far side off a feed from Will Stockhausen. Later, the defense remained vigilant as well. McAneney inched out of the crease to cut off an angle and prevent a shot before making a sweet save on a behind-the-back bullet. Will Cogan also dropped an attacker on the near side of the field, Conor James tied up a Sea Gull along the crease, and Crist broke up a clear attempt with a great leaping stab along the far sidelines.
 
Although Salisbury was eventually able to scratch out one final goal, CNU came back with the last strike of the contest. Taking advantage of another man-up situation, Rice shoveled the ball to McKenna, who uncorked a submarine shot from the far side to close out the scoring.
 
Overall, Salisbury held a 39-26 advantage in shots and a 33-25 lead in ground balls. Meanwhile, CNU won 12 of the game's 21 faceoffs. Along with Cruz's work at the 'X,' freshman Tyler Iriondo also won a battle, and O'Connell secured a team-high four ground balls.
 
---CNU---