NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Robby Adams came through with a game-high six points while leading the ninth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team to a dominant 16-7 victory over Mary Washington during a Coast-to-Coast Conference clash on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.
 
Earning his second start of the season, Adams made his presence felt throughout the contest while notching a career-high four goals. Meanwhile, Will Stockhausen also contributed a hat-trick, and both Dylan Rice and Alex Brendes added a pair of strikes during a well-rounded showcase against the Eagles.
 
While the attack was lighting up the scoreboard, the entire team was piecing together a strong performance. Zack Sands controlled possession while winning 15 of his 18 faceoff attempts. When Mary Washington was able to possess the ball, the defense smothered the Eagles. Jack Cook and Phoenix Hines both forced three turnovers, while Zac Hanway and Andrew Clark combined for 11 saves between the pipes.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 7-3 on the season, including 2-1 in league action. On the other side, the setback drops Mary Washington to 1-6 overall and 0-3 against conference competition.
 
In the opening quarter, the Captains set the tone. Fittingly, Adams kicked things off with the game's first strike just five minutes into regulation. Later, Stockhausen bullied a defender while sniping from long range before Danny McMinn curled around the right pipe, faked a high shot, and buried a low liner for a fast 3-0 lead.
 
Answering in the second stanza, Mary Washington capitalized on a man-up situation, but Christopher Newport unloaded after that point. Kicking off the surge, Brendes pin-balled a shot off the left pipe and the leg of the keeper for his first goal. Less than 20 seconds later, after Aidan Wheeler flipped possession to Adams, the sophomore buzzed a bullet past the earhole of a defender for his second tally.
 
Continuing the blistering assault, Cole Evans won the ensuing faceoff to keep the pressure on Mary Washington's defense. Taking advantage of the tempo, Brady Altobello rolled over the top of the defense and blasted on the move before Rice cooked a defender on a sprint up the left side of the field on the way to his first score.
 
Holding a 7-1 advantage, Christopher Newport never backed down. On a quick clear, Maxwell Gladieux connected with Rice. With the defense on its heels, the senior captain tossed the ball to Brendes, who cracked the squad's eighth goal in the 19th minute of action.
 
With little left to prove in the first half, Christopher Newport tossed two more goals on the board. First, after an initial shot was saved by the UMW keeper, Adams cleaned up the garbage as he snagged the rebound and fired from the right side. Although the Eagles came back with another man-up tally, Griffin Hanes punctuated the period with a screamer on the run to snatch a 10-2 lead.
 
Following the break, Mary Washington inched back within seven before the Captains found their groove again. Doing the dirty work, Jackson Deal set a screen along the left post and disrupted a pair of defenders, which allowed Rice to circle in for his second goal. Shortly thereafter, Cook came through with his first strike of the year as the senior uncorked a long-pole laser from downtown for a 12-3 edge.
 
Stretching the lead to double-digits, Altobello flashed his stick skills. On a heads-up play, he saved a ricochet off the right pipe. Snagging the ball on the move, he simply continued rolling around the cage before finding Adams on the interior for Christopher Newport's 13th goal.
 
Never letting the visitors even sniff a comeback bid, Stockhausen pummeled the Eagles with a pair of highlight-reel goals. First, he took a pass from Adams a bounced a screamer that kissed the crossbar. Later, following a timeout, he had an initial attempt deflected, but the ball bounced right back to him. With a second chance, he grabbed possession and ripped his third goal of the game.
 
Meanwhile, Will Mercado added a dart of his own after clearing a defender to his right before snapping off his first tally of the year to help polish off a dominant third quarter.
 
Carrying a 16-5 lead into the final stanza, the Captains cruised. Clark did tremendous work in the crease with five late saves, including back-to-back stops during a rapid-fire attack in the middle of the period. Meanwhile, Max Wayne ended a man-down situation with a terrific takeaway on the back end to help anchor a defensive showcase, which helped cap off the 16-7 victory.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport unloaded 66 shots during the game, which equaled the third-highest total in program history and the most since 2017. The Captains also led the way in ground balls, 47-25. Sands finished with a team-high seven rollers, while Hines had three to go along with his three takeaways.
 
The Captains will return to action on April 14 when they host No. 2 Salisbury at 4 p.m.
 
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