BUENA VISTA, Va. -- Flashing a well-balanced arsenal, the ninth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team saw 11 different players score at least once as the Captains pounded away at the Southern Virginia defense while picking up a 20-14 victory during a Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference battle on Saturday afternoon at Knight Stadium.
 
Headlining the attack, Dylan Rice and Robby Adams both finished with five points. Brady Altobello also added a hat-trick, while four other Captains notched multi-goal efforts as well. Among the other standouts, Jackson Deal added three points, including the 100th of his career. With that performance, he became just the 13th player in program history to reach that benchmark.
 
In addition to the high-volume scorers, three long-poles also joined the fun during the 60-minute assault. Defensemen Aidan FitzGerald and Ryan Young both scored for the first time this season, while Jack Cook added his second dart of the year.
 
Equally impressive on the defensive side, Young finished the contest with four takeaways, while Max Wayne and Phoenix Hines forced three miscues as well. Overall, the squad's relentless effort caused Southern Virginia to commit 31 turnovers, marking the most by an opponent in nearly two years.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 9-4 on the season, while the setback dropped the Knights to 6-8
 
Although the hosts slipped out to a quick 2-0 lead early in the first quarter, the Captains shook off the momentary stumble and fired right back. In less than 50 seconds, Coby Auslander got the visitors on the board with a low liner from long range, while Will Stockhausen snapped back around a defender on the left side before burying the equalizer.
 
Back on even ground, FitzGerald quickly gave Christopher Newport its first lead of the game. After serving as the defensive hero on Tuesday with an overtime takeaway against Washington & Lee, the senior flashed his offensive skills on Saturday. On a successful clear, he rumbled 55 yards down the field, cruising past a slew of Knights before slamming on the doorstep for a 3-2 lead.
 
Less than a minute later, Deal made history with his 100th career point. Drawing the attention of two defenders, he created a hole in the center of the field. Slipping in, Adams filled the void, snatched a feed, and cracked a low bullet into the cage.
 
Fittingly, Deal's 100th point came on his 58th career assist, which moved him into a tie with former legend John Thompson for the third-most in program history.
 
Although Southern Virginia chipped its deficit back down to one, Christopher Newport's defense took over to close out the first quarter. Miles Collins leveled a Knight to force an errant shot, while Wayne used a stick lift that caused another attempt to sail over the crossbar. Meanwhile, FitzGerald helped slam the door on an odd-man rush, while Zac Hanway added three late saves, including a gorgeous stop on a wraparound rip from close range.
 
Still nurturing a modest one-goal lead, the Captains broke the game open early in the second period. Joining FitzGerald in the box score, Young and Cook came through with long-pole lasers. First, Young skipped in a shot from 20 yards out, while Cook helped brush aside a clear attempt and whistled a screamer into the cage after battling his way through contact.
 
Meanwhile, the normal stars were equally impressive on the offensive end. Altobello painted the crossbar with a well-placed shot after rolling around the left pipe, while Adams helped stamp out a clear attempt before threading a feed from midfield to Rice, who drove home his first strike. Shortly thereafter, Jordan Lee curled around a defender and set up a blast by Deal before the Captains added their 10th goal during a rapid-fire surge with five minutes left in the period.
 
Kicking off the fast-paced rally, Hanway made a save along the left pipe before diving on the deflection before it spun inside the right post. After scrambling to his feet, the sophomore goalie tossed the ball to Michael Brost. Flashing his precision, Brost unleashed a 40-yard rope down the field to Adams, who had slipped behind the entire defense. With nothing but wide open spaces, the second-year star sidled up to the crease before flipping the ball into the cage for a 10-3 lead.
 
Although the Knights responded with back-to-back goals of their own, Christopher Newport polished off the first half in style. Facing a 10-man ride, Hanway launched a heave down the field to Rice. With the goalie draped on his back, the senior captain simply collected the ball, shook the Knight, and snapped off the final goal of the period.
 
With an 11-6 lead, the Captains wasted little time extending the advantage early in the third period. Brendes kicked things off with a dart from the left side of the zone, marking his 19th straight game with a goal. That scoring streak equals the program record set by Rice, who found the back of the cage in 19 straight contests from April 7, 2018 through March 23, 2019.
 
Later, Deal capitalized on his own rebound for the squad's 13th goal before Griffin Hanes joined his defensive brethren with a tally. Following a scramble near midfield, the short-stick specialist dropped in a dagger from 30 yards out for a 14-6 advantage.
 
Continuing the onslaught, Stockhausen found himself isolated one-on-one with the keeper. Marching forward, he showed off his stick skills with a bevy of fakes, eventually juking the goalie off his feet before tossing a goal into the right side of the cage. Later, after the Knights were hit with a penalty, Brendes sent a skip pass up to Altobello, who fired a man-up missile, which helped the visitors secure a 16-9 lead entering the final stanza.
 
In the fourth, Collins was trapped by a pair of midfielders along the left sideline, but he saved a clear attempt with a Hail-Mary heave that dropped perfectly to Aidan Wheeler on the right side of the field. Taking advantage, Rice eventually controlled possession behind the crease before flipping a pass to Auslander, who dodged one defender before landing his second goal.
 
Although Southern Virginia began chipping away at its deficit, the squad could not score quick enough to complete the comeback. Slowing down the attack, Wayne disrupted a run along the right post before tying up an attacker on the left side during SVU's next offensive stand. Meanwhile, Hines was magnificent near midfield.
 
First, the senior blanketed a pair of Knights along the right side of the field, eventually dislodging the ball twice before forcing a turnover on an over-and-back situation. Just moments later, on a clear attempt, his pressure forced a pass to land out of bounds, which gave possession back to the attack once again.

Despite a run that saw Southern Virginia knock its deficit down to five, the Knights could never pull any closer. Answering SVU's late rally, Rice added back-to-back goals on similar plays that saw him snatch a loose ball during a scrum behind the crease before dunking on the doorstep. Later, with time winding down, Altobello finished off his hat-trick after skipping in the game's final goal to seal the 20-14 win.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Southern Virginia, 60-51, while both squads secured 44 ground balls. Rice and Cook both had seven rollers apiece, while Zack Sands added four to go along with a 12-for-20 effort on faceoffs. Meanwhile, Hanway finished with 11 saves to earn the victory.
 
The Captains will return to action next Saturday when the team hosts St. Mary's (Md.) in the regular season finale. The previously-scheduled game against Mary Washington on April 28 has been postponed due to COVID protocols.
 
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