NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Headlining a record-setting assault, Dylan Rice established a new school standard with 10 points while carrying the ninth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team to a 21-13 victory over St. Mary's (Md.) in the regular season finale on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.
 
Already the program's leader in career goals, Rice continued to justify his spot among the game's great talents with a six-goal, four-assist masterpiece against the Seahawks. His 10 total points broke the single-game record of nine, which was originally established by Andrew Evans in 2008 before Will Geise and Matt Crist both matched it twice in recent years.
 
Along with the Senior Day star, some of the other fourth-year standouts also pieced together memorable efforts after being honored during a pregame ceremony earlier in the afternoon. Jackson Deal contributed two goals and an assist while vaulting into the top-10 on the all-time points list with his 105th. Additionally, on the defensive side, Miles Collins had three takeaways, Phoenix Hines added two caused turnovers, and Jack Cook cleaned the field with seven ground balls.
 
In addition to the seniors, several underclassmen also starred against the Seahawks. Continuing his career-long cannonade, sophomore Alex Brendes added his name to the history books on Saturday. The second-year star finished with five goals, marking the 20th consecutive game in which he has found the back of the net. That stretch, which dates back to his collegiate debut, is now the longest scoring streak in school history, passing Rice's run of 19 straight games with a goal from April 7, 2018 through March 23, 2019.
 
Helping balance out Christopher Newport's offensive heroics, Brady Altobello added six points, including four assists, while Robby Adams chipped in with five points as well. Zack Sands also did tremendous work controlling possession. During a grueling afternoon, the freshman proved his worth with an exceptional effort near midfield, winning 18 faceoffs while collecting 10 ground balls.
 
Saturday's victory pushed the Captains to 10-4 on the season and affirmed their spot as the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Coast-to-Coast Conference Tournament. Meanwhile, the setback dropped St. Mary's (Md.) to 3-9 overall.
 
With the regular season in the books, Christopher Newport will open up the playoffs at home against Southern Virginia with a semifinal showdown on Wednesday. Meanwhile, St. Mary's (Md.) will travel to Salisbury for the other semifinal contest. Following the midweek action, the winners will advance to next Saturday's title bout, which will determine the league champion and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
On the lookout for an upset, St. Mary's (Md.) got off to a strong start on Saturday. Although Campbell Pozin ripped an early goal off a feed from Aidan Wheeler, the visitors slipped out to a 4-1 lead with six minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
 
Unfazed by the early stumble, the Captains kept their nose to the grindstone and regrouped on both ends of the field. First, Collins stripped an attacker on the defensive end before Cook snatched the loose ball and rumbled down the field. Although the long-pole momentarily gave up possession, he quickly took it back and unloaded a rocket just underneath the crossbar to kick off an epic offensive surge.
 
Just 12 seconds after Cook's goal, Michael Brost won the ensuing faceoff and handed the ball to Pozin, who laced his second strike of the game. Later, Rice got his day started with a laser from the left side, Altobello capitalized on a forward pass from Coby Auslander, and Collins cleared the face of a defender before driving home the team's fifth straight goal, which handed the hosts a 6-4 lead at the end of the opening period.
 
Continuing the unbridled attack early in the second stanza, Christopher Newport quickly stretched its advantage to 9-4. Altobello assisted on a bullet by Brendes before blasting his own goal less than two minutes later. Shortly thereafter, Thomas Mark flipped a feed to Deal, who immediately uncorked a screamer before a defender could close out on the left side.
 
Fighting back, St. Mary's landed four straight goals to punctuate the first half, which pulled the squad back within one at 9-8. Although the Seahawks closed the gap, the Captains regrouped and prevented the SMC momentum from bubbling over into the second half.
 
After the two teams traded goals early in the third quarter, Christopher Newport had enough of the seesaw affair. Finding a groove, Brendes slung back-to-back goals to kick off the surge before Burke Widhelm continued the rally with solid work on the other end of the field. Jumping on a loose ball in the defensive zone, the junior had no interest in giving up control. Embarking on a bold venture down the field, he outran an SMC attacker, thundered past midfield, and drew the attention of two defensemen before handing the ball to Deal, who quickly tossed a pass inside to Rice for the team's 13th tally.
 
Less than a minute later, Brendes capped off the four-goal surge in epic fashion. Flashing his athleticism, he sidestepped one defender before bursting towards the crease. Before a second Seahawk could close distance, he went airborne with a full head of steam while lacing the orb just under the crossbar for a 14-9 lead.
 
After keeping the Seahawks real quiet for most of the third quarter, the visitors did inch back within four late in the period. However, the Captains had a resounding response.
 
In the fourth frame, Ryan Young forced an early turnover and jump-started a successful clear, which ended with another rip by Rice. Later, Rice added his fifth strike before assisting on another tremendous goal by Brendes. This time, the agile attackman caught the ball on the move while barreling towards the cage. Showing some fancy footwork, he landed a dart on the doorstep while tiptoeing along the crease for a 17-12 advantage.
 
Continuing the rally, Christopher Newport made a spectacular bid to crack St. Mary's vaunted man-down defense. The Seahawks, who came into the game ranked fourth in the nation with a 90 percent success rate against power play situations, finally met their match. With six minutes remaining, Altobello faked a flip to Adams as they crossed paths at the top of the zone. With the defense searching for the ball, Altobello sent it inside to Rice, who unleashed his record-tying 19th career man-up missile.
 
After the Seahawks finally broke through again, Christopher Newport put an end to the festivities. On the defensive side, the Captains shut out St. Mary's over the final six minutes. Meanwhile, the offense polished off its day with three final goals.
 
First, Rice wrapped up his historic showcase after threading a pass to Deal, who launched from long range. Later, Adams joined a cavalcade of Captains with multi-goal efforts as the second-year star added the final two tallies, which locked up the 21-13 win.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 54-31 lead in shots and a 40-29 edge in ground balls. Zac Hanway also finished with nine saves between the pipes. Meanwhile, after earning the conference's Defensive Player of the Week citation on Monday, Max Wayne capped off his award-winning stretch with a takeaway, two ground balls, and another strong effort while anchoring the back line.
 
After a little Sunday silence, the Captains will begin their final preparations for the playoffs, which begin with the Coast-to-Coast Semifinals on Wednesday.
 
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