OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Digging out of an early hole, the 18th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team grabbed its first lead of the game just before halftime, but Stevenson quickly responded and eventually scored five straight goals on the way to a 14-8 victory on Wednesday evening at Mustang Stadium.

Leading the way on the offensive end, Dylan Rice came through with his ninth hat-trick of the season before finishing with five total points. Jackson Deal also added a pair of darts during a third-quarter rally, while Spencer Shipman found the back of the net for the first time this season.

Meanwhile, making a little history on the defensive end, Scott McAneney came through with 10 saves during the game, which bumped his career total to 304. He joins former legends Matt Hayden and Andy McGregor as the only Captains with 300 career saves.

Along with McAneney, Drew Cornell registered a team-high four caused turnovers against the Mustangs. He now has 88 in his career, which moves him into second place on the all-time charts. He sits just four away from tying Teddy Pekalski's program standard of 92 set from 2010-14.

With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 8-5 on the season. The win bumps Stevenson to 4-6.

In the first quarter, the defense flashed its muscle in the opening minutes. On the back end, Cornell ripped the ball out of the stick of an attacker to end Stevenson's initial surge. Moments later, after the hosts caused a miscue of their own, Rice chased down a midfielder on the clear attempt and used a trail check to regain possession.

Unfortunately, the Mustangs eventually found their rhythm on the offensive side. Stringing together four straight goals, SU grabbed a 4-0 lead midway through the period before Christopher Newport whistled for a timeout.

Needing to respond, the CNU attack fought back. Capping off the first period in style, the Captains converted two straight goals. First, McAneney made a pointblank save on a rip by the Mustangs before the visitors pushed the pace. Sprinting up the field, Will Stockhausen fed back to Rice, who sniped a bullet past two defenders to put Christopher Newport on the board.

Less than two minutes later, after Will Cogan handed the ball back to the attack with his first caused turnover, the offense settled in. Methodically moving around the zone, Shipman found himself isolated with the ball at the top with only a few ticks left on the shot clock. Needing to make a move, he cut hard to his left, found a nice lane, and unleashed a dart just underneath the crossbar to cut the deficit to two at 4-2.

Chipping away even more in the second stanza, CNU opened the new period with a highlight-reel effort. After the hosts were hit with a penalty, the Captains took advantage. Brady Altobello fed the ball to Rice, who was anchored along the left pipe. Dancing on the doorstep, the sophomore faked a shot high to move the keeper before spinning around a defender to free up some space on the way to his second goal.

Although Stevenson responded to grab a 5-3 edge a few minutes later, Christopher Newport fired right back. On the defensive side, McAneney swallowed a shot before Aidan FitzGerald bolted up the field on a quick clear. Without much pressure, the long-pole midfielder fired a hopper on the run that ricocheted off the crossbar for his third goal of the season.

Continuing to poke at the SU defense, the Captains eventually earned their first lead of the game with five minutes remaining in the half. First, on the equalizer, Stockhausen drew the attention of two Mustangs. With the defense over-pursuing, he slipped a pass to Rice, who capitalized from close range. Shortly thereafter, Christopher Newport inched out to a 6-5 lead following a beautiful transition tracer.

Setting up the go-ahead goal, McAneney plucked a bounce shot off the turf. With possession, he slipped a pinpoint feed to Miles Collins. Burning up the field, Collins was tripped at midfield, but he quickly regained his footing and kept the pressure on. Eventually, he found Campbell Pozin, who continued the surge and painted the left pipe for the team's sixth goal of the contest. 

Staring at their first deficit, the Mustangs attempted to answer, but the CNU defense was up to the challenge. On the initial response, Shipman bullied an attacker and brushed him aside before jumping on the loose ball and flipping the field. Later, Phoenix Hines picked off a bouncer on a clear attempt before Deal took on two players by himself and forced a tremendous turnover with just over a minute remaining in the first half.

Unfortunately, the tide quickly turned against the Captains after that point. In the final seconds of the second quarter, Stevenson dropped in back-to-back goals to steal a 7-6 edge entering the break. Keeping the momentum, the hosts came out of halftime and strung together three more tallies to grab a 10-6 advantage with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Needing to regain its rhythm, CNU shot back. Hines ripped the ball away from an SU midfielder before bolting up the field. Catching the defense on its heels, he dished to Rice, who found Deal on the near side for the team's seventh goal. Less than a minute later, Deal found himself matched up with a defender behind the crease. After the Mustang made a misstep running to his left, Deal booked it the other way, rolled around the pipe, and shoveled the ball inside the post for his second straight tally.

Back within two entering the fourth quarter, Christopher Newport was unable to sustain the momentum. Going on another run, Stevenson pieced together three straight goals to open the final period. Although the Captains kept fighting, and Hines caused another turnover after dropping a midfielder with an impressive hit on a clear attempt, their efforts fell short. Eventually, the Mustangs tacked on one last goal during the waning moments to walk away with a 14-8 victory.

Overall, the two teams both unloaded 37 shots, while Stevenson won 18 of the game's 25 faceoffs and held a 43-34 edge in ground balls. Hines led the way with five rollers for the Captains, while Cornell, Pozin, and Rice all had four.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the team hosts Mary Washington in a Capital Athletic Conference bout at 1 p.m.

---CNU---