ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. - Dylan Rice and
Lucas Barry combined for seven goals, while the defense surrendered just one strike in the second half as the 16th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team upended Elizabethtown, 10-6, during a non-conference battle on Friday afternoon at Wolf Field.
Trailing by one at halftime, the Captains clawed back with a relentless effort in the second half. The offense scored five consecutive goals in the third quarter, while
Scott McAneney made seven saves over the final 30 minutes to quiet the Blue Jays. Meanwhile, the defense forced 23 total turnovers during the contest, which marked the second most in a single game in program history. On an individual level,
Max Wayne caused six miscues, which established a new career-high and equaled the fourth-highest single-game total by a Captain.
Phoenix Hines also had five caused turnovers and four ground balls.
On the offensive side, Rice erupted for four goals, including the go-ahead strike in the third quarter. That marked his 14th consecutive game with at least one goal dating back to April 7, 2018, which equals the fourth-longest streak in program history. Barry also came through with his third consecutive hat-trick, including two darts late in the second stanza.
With the victory, CNU improves to 4-2 on the season. It also marks the squad's third win over a program that advanced to the 2018 NCAA Tournament, joining Roanoke and Colorado College. On the other side, the setback drops Elizabethtown to 2-3.
After entering halftime staring at a 5-4 deficit, Christopher Newport regrouped and tormented the ETown defense. Just two minutes into the third quarter,
Jordan Lee capitalized on an assist by
Jackson Deal for the equalizer. The assist marked the 34th of Deal's career, moving him into a tie with
Shane McKenna for the ninth most all-time.
Less than a minute later, after
Griffin Hanes scooped up the roller on the ensuing faceoff, Rice put the squad ahead for good off a feed from
Brady Altobello. Continuing the onslaught, Rice added his second straight strike before Barry and
Glenn Doering added back-to-back rockets at the tail end of the period to grab a 9-5 advantage.
Fostering a four-goal lead, the defense held up against mounting pressure from the Blue Jays. Early in the fourth quarter, Wayne and Hines both caused turnovers to thwart a pair of Elizabethtown rallies, while McAneney stoned an on-target attempt. Although the hosts managed to find a little daylight with 12 minutes remaining, Altobello fired back with an answer to regain a four-goal edge.
With time ticking down, McAneney stepped up. The junior made three stops in the final eight minutes, including one during a man-down situation. Meanwhile, Wayne and
Drew Cornell forced late turnovers to cut off the final two rallies and lock up the win.
During the contest, Elizabethtown held a slim 32-28 advantage in shots and a 42-41 lead in ground balls.
An hour before the final horn sounded, Rice got the Captains off on the right foot. The junior opened the scoring with the game's first two strikes. Unfortunately, the hosts battled back. Finding a rhythm, the Blue Jays scored the final three goals of the first quarter before adding two straight tallies to open the second.
Facing a 5-2 deficit, Christopher Newport rallied. First, on the defensive side,
Campbell Pozin stripped an attacker to silence a threat in the middle of the second stanza. Then, Barry made Elizabethtown pay on the other side. The senior peppered the Blue Jays with back-to-back goals, including a dagger off a feed from
Will Stockhausen, to pull the visitors back within one entering the break.
Following halftime, the Captains kept the momentum and capitalized on their huge third-quarter run to sink the Blue Jays.
Along with Rice and Barry, Altobello chipped in with three points, including a pair of assists. Lee also added two points during the well-balanced assault.
Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when the squad hosts Washington (Md.) at Captains Field.
---CNU---
