BROOKLANDVILLE, Md. -- Despite pulling within one goal early in the fourth quarter, the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team could not complete its comeback as Ursinus slipped past the Captains, 12-10, during a neutral-site tilt at St. Paul's School in Brooklandville, Maryland.
 
Dylan Rice and Lucas Barry both registered hat-tricks for the Captains, while Will Stockhausen also contributed three points, including a pair of assists. Meanwhile, Max Wayne led CNU's defensive efforts with three caused turnovers and three ground balls. Scott McAneney also contributed seven saves, five ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
 
With the setback, the Captains fall to 3-2 on the season. The victory bumps Ursinus to 4-0.
 
Having already defeated a pair of nationally-ranked opponents this year, Ursinus got off to a hot start against CNU. The Bears struck three times in the first six minutes of action to snatch a 3-0 lead. Battling back, Rice responded with two straight tallies off feeds from Jordan Lee and Griffin Hanes to cut the deficit down to one early in the second quarter.
 
Shortly thereafter, Rice came back with his third strike and Jackson Deal followed with his first dart to knot the score at four. From there, the two teams engaged in a back-and-forth slugfest.
 
Trading the next four goals, including strikes by Barry and Brady Altobello, the Captains and Bears still found themselves deadlocked at six. With momentum swinging from sideline to sideline, Ursinus finally took control in the middle of the third quarter. Snapping off three straight goals, the Bears grabbed a 9-6 edge entering the final 15 minutes.
 
Refusing to go down quietly, Christopher Newport hammered away early in the fourth quarter. Phoenix Hines won the opening faceoff before Miles Collins grabbed the loose ball. Five seconds later, the sophomore found the back of the net to cut the deficit down to two.
 
Less than a minute later, the Captains pulled within one. Campbell Pozin forced a turnover during a run by the Bears before Altobello snatched up the loose ball. With possession, Altobello eventually found Barry, who ripped the squad's eighth goal with 14 minutes remaining in regulation.
 
Unfortunately, Ursinus shot back. Scoring three of the next four goals, the Bears stole a 12-9 lead with under six minutes remaining.
 
Fighting until the bitter end, Barry punched home his third goal before Aidan FitzGerald won the ensuing faceoff. Sadly, the Captains turned the ball over before getting hit with a late penalty to stem their momentum. Stockhausen eventually fired an on-target shot with just over a minute left in the game, and Alex Horgan kept possession after securing a late ground ball, but time eventually ran out on the comeback attempt.
 
Overall, Ursinus out-shot Christopher Newport, 39-37, and held a 38-30 lead in ground balls. The Bears also won 19 of the game's 26 faceoffs.
 
CNU will look to bounce back on Friday when the squad travels to Elizabethtown for a 2 p.m. battle.
 
---CNU---