NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 14th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team capitalized on an offensive assault by Jackson Deal and a defensive masterpiece by Drew Cornell as CNU rolled past Virginia Wesleyan, 14-7, during a non-conference battle on a brisk Tuesday evening at Captains Field.

Playing a role in over half of the team's goals, Deal finished the contest with eight points, including five assists. His eight points equaled the sixth-highest single-game total in program history, while his five helpers matched the fifth-highest total by a Captain. With that performance, he also moved up to sixth on the program's all-time list with 40 career assists, hopping former All-American Randy Foster.

Along with Deal, Dylan Rice contributed six points, including four goals. That marked his 17th straight appearance with at least one goal, which tied former legend Will Geise for the longest run in program history. Meanwhile, Lucas Barry and Jacob Hale also added a pair of strikes for the Captains.

On the defensive end, Cornell forced eight turnovers, which equaled the single-game program record set by Brandon Moloney against Southern Virginia on April 19, 2016. Incredibly, Max Wayne finished one shy of matching the record himself after causing seven turnovers against the Marlins, while Phoenix Hines added five. Overall, the squad caused 34 turnovers, which broke the school record of 28 established last month against No. 12 Roanoke on February 27.

Along with his five caused turnovers, Hines also collected 11 ground balls. That equaled the sixth-highest total in program history.

With the victory, CNU improves to 7-2 on the season, while Virginia Wesleyan falls to 5-3.

Although the Marlins slipped out to a 2-0 lead early in the first quarter, the Captains evened the score before the period was over. Fittingly, Deal was at the forefront of the comeback. The sophomore assisted on the game's first two tallies after connecting with Griffin Hanes at the top of the zone before finding Hale cutting along the crease.

At the start of the second stanza, the squads traded goals, including a stinger by Rice after the sophomore found a seam straight up the gut. Later, Rice came back with a gorgeous shot that split the wickets of the VWU goalie to gain a 4-3 lead before Deal put on a clinic.

Helping out on the next four goals, Deal found Rice cutting towards the cage, shoveled a feed to Hale on the far side of the field, and drew the attention of three defenders before slipping another pinpoint assist to Rice on the near side. Meanwhile, he also showed off his finishing skills after bursting into the interior following a pass from Will Stockhausen to help secure a 7-3 edge.

Along with his assist on Deal's first goal of the game, Stockhausen made one of the loudest statements of the season on the other side of the field. With four minutes remaining in the first half, the sophomore tracked down a Virginia Wesleyan midfielder after the Marlin forced a turnover. Making him pay for the theft, Stockhausen absolutely obliterated him with a bone-crushing hit that sent the opponent crashing to the ground. With carnage on the field, Stockhausen calmly picked up the ball and flipped the field.

Holding an 8-4 lead entering the break, the Captains surrendered an early goal in the third stanza, but the defense settled in. Cornell blanketed the field and forced three turnovers in the first five minutes of the half. Hines and Jordan Lee also caused miscues before a pair of long poles helped jump-start the attack on the other side. 

First, Aidan FitzGerald assisted on back-to-back bullets by Miles Collins and Campbell Pozin. Later, after Wayne forced a turnover, Cornell showed off his passing skills and anchored a quick transition. The senior eventually flipped to Rice, who connected with Deal for the squad's 11th goal.

With an 11-6 lead entering the final 15 minutes, Christopher Newport put a solid punctuation mark on the contest. Deal wrapped up his evening after capitalizing on a toss from Alex Horgan before Barry stung the back of the net with the final two tallies, including a tracer that landed just under the crossbar following a pass from Spencer Shipman.

Meanwhile, wrapping up on the defensive end, Wayne stood tall against a streaker with five minutes left and eventually leveled the Marlin with another vicious hit before Hines grabbed the loose ball. Then, in the final minute, Cornell came back to strip an attacker deep in the defensive zone to put the lid on Virginia Wesleyan's final offensive threat and cap off his historic evening.

Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Virginia Wesleyan, 50-37, and held a 57-52 advantage in ground balls. CNU also won 13 of the game's 25 faceoffs, including a 12-for-22 effort by Tyler Iriondo.

The Captains will return home on Thursday when Christopher Newport hosts No. 12 Stevens at 7 p.m.



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