NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Alex Brendes came through with one of the biggest goals in Christopher Newport men's lacrosse history as the second-year standout unloaded a rocket early in overtime to carry the 11th-ranked Captains to a thrilling 10-9 victory over No. 2 Lynchburg during a grueling non-conference battle on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.
 
After Zack Sands posted a game-changing takeaway to open the extra session, Brendes landed the final dagger less than 40 seconds into the overtime period to close out the win. Along with Brendes, Brady Altobello was an absolute force throughout the game as the junior came through with four goals and a pair of assists to headline Christopher Newport's offensive efforts.
 
Meanwhile, on the defensive side, the Captains blanketed the field with a relentless effort throughout the 61-minute marathon. Ryan Young was masterful on the back end with four takeaways and a physical presence that helped set the tone for the slugfest. Meanwhile, Phoenix Hines also added three takeaways, and the man-down unit was exceptional while overcoming a pair of two-minute, non-releasable penalties to keep Lynchburg in-check.
 
The No. 2 Hornets equaled the highest-ranked opponent that Christopher Newport has ever defeated, matching the program's 8-7 overtime win against No. 2 Salisbury on April 2, 2014.
 
With the win, the Captains improve to 6-0 on the season. The setback drops Lynchburg to 5-1.
 
After the Hornets struck twice in the final two minutes of regulation to pull even at nine, Christopher Newport regrouped entering overtime. Refusing to let the game slip away, Sands came through with the defensive play of the game. Although Lynchburg controlled the opening faceoff in the extra session, Sands showed incredible determination while stalking the opposing faceoff specialist. Tracking down his foe, the freshman eventually dropped the hammer from behind to dislodge the ball before Drew Miller pounced on the roller.
 
Following a timeout by the Captains, Brendes took possession of the ball at the top of the zone. Matched up one-on-one with a short-stick midfielder, the reigning National Freshman of the Year used a quick hitch to clear his defender. After opening up some space to his right, he blew past the Hornet before unloading a missile into the back of the net to clinch the victory.
 
While Brendes' late-game dagger sealed the win, it was simply the punctuation mark to a complete-game effort by the Captains. Although Lynchburg burst out to a fast 2-0 lead in the opening period, Christopher Newport shrugged off the early stumble. First, Will Stockhausen bullied a defender along the right side of the field before unleashing a bouncer off the left pipe for the squad's initial goal midway through the first quarter.
 
After the Hornets regained a two-goal lead, the hosts ended the opening period in style. First, on the defensive side, Young tore the stick right out of the hands of a Lynchburg attacker to give his offense a chance. Capitalizing on the other end, Altobello fed up to Coby Auslander, who faked a feed, elevated, and landed a jumper from the right side to pull Christopher Newport back within one.
 
Looking to pull even, the Captains put together one of their best quarters of the season in the second stanza. Defensively, Christopher Newport limited Lynchburg to only two shots during the period. Young came through with three takeaways in the quarter, including a key play that saw him wipe away an attempt on the doorstep with a violent altercation along the crease. Phoenix Hines and Burke Widhelm also caused turnovers on the back end to keep a lid on the visitors.
 
Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Christopher Newport flipped a one-goal deficit into 5-3 lead with a fast-paced assault. Kicking things off, Miller split two defenders with a pass down low to Jackson Deal, who jumped, grabbed the feed, and ripped the equalizer less than five minutes into the period. Shortly thereafter, the Captains went around-the-horn for the go-ahead goal as Deal connected with Thomas Mark, who slipped a feed to Dylan Rice. Punctuating the play, the senior star sniped from the left side for his first strike.
 
Looking for one final dagger, Altobello capped off the second period with a rope off a pass from Auslander, which handed the squad a 5-3 edge entering the break.
 
After halftime, Lynchburg retied the game at five following a pair of early goals, including a man-up tally. However, Altobello had the perfect response. First, he converted a no-look feed to Miller, who was laid out on the interior but still capitalized from close range. Just over a minute later, Altobello came back and found himself isolated one-on-one with a Hornet. Taking advantage of those numbers, he rolled back to his right before buzzing a bullet past the earhole of his defender to snatch a 7-5 lead.
 
Although the visitors pulled back within one just seconds later, one of the biggest defensive stands of the game came shortly thereafter.  Christopher Newport was hit with another two-minute penalty, but the man-down unit was suffocating. Early on, Max Wayne stripped an attacker near the back line to force a turnover. Later, when Lynchburg returned to the zone, Aidan FitzGerald added a takeaway of his own to close out a pristine effort by the downers.
 
Trailing 7-6 entering the fourth quarter, the Hornets quickly knotted things in the new period despite two tremendous saves by Zac Hanway in the early going. Later, Hanway snuffed out another rocket to keep the game even at seven before Altobello stepped up.
 
During a minute-long masterpiece in the middle of the period, Altobello landed a pair of darts. During a man-up situation, he buried a screamer just under the crossbar, which broke the deadlock. Moments later, he changed elevation and cracked a low-liner into the left corner of the cage to secure a two-goal lead.
 
Battling until the end, Lynchburg refused to go down quietly. Hanway slammed the door on another shot, while Campbell Pozin came through with a huge takeaway with less than two minutes left in regulation. Unfortunately, the hosts could not clear the zone and the Hornets capitalized to pull back within one. Then, just over a minute later, the visitors struck again with 22 seconds left to force overtime.
 
Despite the late stumble, Christopher Newport was unfazed. Bouncing back in overtime, the Captains took advantage of some late-game heroics by Sands and Brendes to pull out the win.
 
Overall, the Captains held a 42-31 edge in shots, while Lynchburg won 13 of the game's 21 faceoffs. Michael Brost captured five of his nine battles for the victors, while Sands also added three wins at the 'x' in addition to his game-saving takeaway. Between the pipes, Hanway had six saves and a key caused turnover in the fourth quarter to earn the win.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action next Friday when the Captains travel to Lynchburg for a rematch with the second-ranked Hornets at 7 p.m.
 
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