COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- Despite a furious second-half rally, including four goals in the fourth quarter, the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team came up short against 9th-ranked Ursinus as the Captains dropped a 13-9 decision on Saturday afternoon at Patterson Field.

During the battle, the hosts slipped out to an 8-2 halftime edge before the Captains clawed back. Christopher Newport eventually whittled its deficit down to four with just under six minutes remaining in regulation, but the Bears held firm after that point to steal the victory.

Coby Auslander led the Captains with four points, including his first collegiate hat-trick. Fellow freshmen Robby Adams and Alex Brendes also chipped in with three points apiece, while Will Stockhausen had a pair.

On the defensive end, Phoenix Hines forced two turnovers against Ursinus, and Aidan FitzGerald collected a team-high seven ground balls. Adams also hauled in six rollers to go along with his offensive efforts, while Scott McAneney came through with 12 saves between the pipes.

With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 3-1 on the season. The victory bumps Ursinus to 4-0.

Out-gunning the visitors early in the contest, Ursinus bolted out to a 4-0 lead less than six minutes into regulation. Battling back, Adams and Brendes both found the back of the net for the first time in the opening period, but the Bears refused to slow down. Eventually, the hosts regained a four-goal lead before connecting on four straight tallies in the second stanza to snatch an 8-2 edge entering halftime.

Looking to keep the momentum, Ursinus drove home the first two goals in the third period before Christopher Newport found its rhythm.

Taking advantage of a man-up situation, Auslander laced a strike off a feed from Adams to jumpstart the comeback. Seconds later, after Hines corralled a loose ball, Brendes deposited his second tally to pull the Captains back within six at 10-4.

Brushing aside Christopher Newport's advances, Ursinus responded with back-to-back goals of its own before Brady Altobello capped off a high-scoring third quarter with a man-up rocket to cut the Bears' lead down to 12-5.

Although Ursinus kept its roll going early in the fourth after capitalizing on a Christopher Newport penalty, the Captains dug in again. Staring at an eight-goal deficit, the squad slowly chipped away. First, Drew Miller slung a dart through the zone off a feed from Stockhausen before Auslander added back-to-back strikes during a two-minute surge, which pulled the visitors back within five at 13-8.

Continuing to plug away, Hines forced a turnover, while Max Wayne and David Gonzalez collected ground balls to keep the possession alive. After a fast clear, Stockhausen took advantage of an Auslander feed on the offensive end for the game's final tally.

Unfortunately, after that point, the Captains could not pull any closer. Miller added a late takeaway and Campbell Pozin jumped on a loose ball, but the hosts thwarted Christopher Newport's attack over the final five minutes to seal the win.

Overall, Ursinus won 17 of the game's 25 faceoffs and held a 40-38 advantage in ground balls. Christopher Newport led the way in shots, 43-37.

The Captains will return to action on Wednesday when the squad kicks off a two-game homestand with a 4 p.m. tilt against Eastern.

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