SALEM, Va. -- Continuing its assault on the record books, the 16th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team picked up the program's first NCAA Tournament victory with a spectacular showcase on Wednesday evening as the Captains ran past No. 17 Roanoke, 17-11, at Kerr Stadium.
                           
Leading the way for the Captains, Matthew Crist registered six points, including three goals. With that performance, he set fire to the record books. He established a new career standard for goals with 124, moving past Will Geise's previous record of 121. The senior star also established a new single-season points record with 80, topping Geise's mark of 77 set last year.
 
Along with his finishing skills, Crist also showcased his passing with three assists. With that effort, he bumped his career total to 102 helpers. He is now the first player in program history to record at least 100 career goals and 100 career assists.
 
Along with Crist's record-setting efforts, Tony Cruz helped CNU dominate possession by winning 14 faceoffs while securing four ground balls. He now has 103 ground balls this year, topping Brandon Moloney's previous record of 100 set in 2016.
 
Equally electric on Wednesday, Lucas Barry came through with five goals, while Jake O'Connell starred all across the field. The senior midfielder contributed four points, including three assists. He also collected five ground balls and forced a turnover during a well-rounded performance.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 15-4 and advances to the Sweet 16 on Saturday. The Captains will face the winner of the Salisbury - Morrisville State second round bout. Meanwhile, the setback ends Roanoke's season at 14-6.
 
Making their 20th NCAA appearance, the Maroons looked comfortable in the early going and jumped out to a quick lead against the youthful Captains. Roanoke scored back-to-back goals before CNU responded. In the 10th minute, following a sustained offensive stand, Jackson Deal slipped a feed across the zone to Barry. Toeing the crease, the junior snuck one inside the right pipe to light up the scoreboard and cut the deficit in half.
 
Although Roanoke managed to slap its third goal on the board at the tail end of the first quarter, the Captains found their rhythm with a fresh 15 minutes on the clock. Kicking off a record-breaking run, Crist converted his 122nd career goal off a feed from O'Connell after catching the Maroons in transition. Seconds later, after facing another 10-man ride, Crist came through with his 100th assist off a feed to Barry, who snapped off a dart on the run to knot the score at three.
 
After the hosts managed to break the deadlock momentarily, Christopher Newport shot right back. On the ensuing faceoff, Cruz won the battle cleanly, pushing the roller forward before scooping up his record-setting 101st ground ball of the year. Taking advantage on the offensive end, CNU pulled even with a highlight-reel goal.
 
After the shot clock was put on the Captains, the squad attempted to find an opening. With time ticking down, the ball was dislodged in the center of the zone. Battling through a scrum, Crist eventually gained control momentarily before flipping the ball over his head. Grabbing the no-look pass, Dylan Rice gained possession and unloaded a dagger from the near side to even things at four.
 
With some momentum, Christopher Newport began carving up the Roanoke defense. On a clear attempt, Will Stockhausen bullied his way into the zone just before the timer expired. Taking advantage of his own brute force, the freshman eventually torched the back of the net and gave CNU its first lead after firing a screamer over the top of two defenders with a perfect high-to-low laser.
 
Continuing the surge, Scott McAneney plucked a bullet out of the air to stone Roanoke's response before O'Connell cleared the zone and drew a penalty. Moments later, the attack capitalized again as Crist wiggled free on the interior before converting a pass from Griffin Hanes to steal a 6-4 lead.
 
Keeping the momentum, Deal tucked a dart under the crossbar before Hanes snapped off another dagger from the doorstep to push the advantage to 8-4 with less than three minutes remaining in the first half.
 
Although Roanoke fought back and collected its fifth goal, CNU never relented. Polishing off a phenomenal second quarter, O'Connell and Phoenix Hines double-teamed a midfielder along the near sideline. After Hines punched the ball away, O'Connell secured the roller and cleared the defensive end. Bolting up the field, O'Connell eventually dished to Miles Collins, who took one step and unleashed a screamer into the back of the net to snatch a 9-5 lead.
 
After halftime, Christopher Newport continued its onslaught. In the first minute, Crist fed underneath to Barry, who drove one home from close range. Less than a minute later, after Roanoke broke out another 10-man ride, O'Connell made the hosts pay. From 70 yards out, the senior flashed his precision and skipped a one-timer into the open net to push the edge to 11-5.
 
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, CNU kept the Maroons in check. During a man-down situation, Drew Cornell deflected a shot and later teamed up with Max Wayne to stuff an attempt on the interior before McAneney gobbled up the ground ball. Shortly thereafter, Shane McKenna got his stick on an attacker and forced another attempt to sail high before Will Cogan won a race to the sidelines to regain possession.
 
After thwarting Roanoke's retaliation, Christopher Newport's attack went back to work. Facing another 10-man ride, McAneney heaved a shot that went the entire length of the field. Although the attempt bounced high, Crist grabbed the ricochet behind the crease, cruised around the left pipe, and fed to Rice, who collected the squad's 12th goal.
 
Still motoring, O'Connell grabbed the loose ball on the ensuing faceoff before finding Barry, who sniped another goal from the near side of the field to secure a 13-5 lead.
 
With everything going CNU's way, the Captains added another goal midway through the third quarter. Stockhausen ran into a wall of Roanoke defenders, who eventually blocked his ensuing shot. Incredibly, the ball bounced right up to Drew Magnusson, who split two Maroons and notched his first tally of the game to earn a nine-goal lead.
 
Attempting to respond, Roanoke managed to string together three straight goals over the tail end of the third period. However, Wayne eventually put an end to that run. With two minutes remaining in the quarter, the freshman star stripped a Maroon along the back line to close off a threat. Later, at the start of the fourth, he ended another rally after punching the ball away again before O'Connell dropped an attacker, who slipped free for a moment on the near side of the field.
 
Following the defensive stand, the offense added a little more breathing room before closing out the contest. Isolated with a defender on the far side of the field, Magnusson cut around the Maroon and drove home his second strike. Minutes later, Crist flashed his hops, keeping an errant pass from sailing out of bounds with a leaping, out-stretched save. Seconds later, he took advantage of his athleticism and closed out his afternoon with one final rocket to push the lead to 16-8.
 
With little left to prove, Christopher Newport put together one final showcase on both sides of the field. With three minutes left, Cogan lowered the boom on a Maroon to force a turnover in the center of the zone. After Cornell secured the loose ball, the Captains put together a quick clear to catch RC in transition. On the other side, Rice eventually found Barry, who put the finishing touches on the victory with his fifth goal of the contest.
 
Overall, CNU held a 44-37 advantage in shots and a 43-30 lead in ground balls. Cornell led the team with eight rollers, while Tyler Iriondo also had four to go along with a 4-for-5 effort on faceoff attempts. The Captains eventually won 18 of the game's 31 battles at the 'X.'
 
---CNU---