OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Smothering the opposition throughout the contest, the ninth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team pieced together a defensive masterpiece while advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 10-5 win over 12th-ranked Stevenson during a second-round battle on Sunday afternoon at Mustang Stadium.
 
Leading the way on the defensive side of the ball, Max Wayne registered four caused turnovers, marking the most by a Captain in an NCAA Tournament game in program history. Ryan Young and Aidan Wheeler also had three takeaways apiece, while Zac Hanway cleaned up between the pipes. The sophomore goalie registered 12 saves, including nine in the second half.
 
Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Alex Brendes collected a team-high six points after registering three goals and three assists. Dylan Rice also contributed a hat-trick, while Coby Auslander handed out four helpers.
 
Equally effective during the game, Zack Sands was instrumental in keeping the ball away from the Mustangs. The freshman faceoff specialist won 13 of his 19 battles while collecting eight ground balls. Coming up clutch, he won nine of the 12 faceoffs in the second half as the Captains flipped a one-goal deficit into a lopsided victory.
 
With the triumph, Christopher Newport improves to 12-5 on the season and advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals for a date with No. 4 Lynchburg on May 22 in Salisbury, Maryland. Meanwhile, Stevenson wraps up its season with a 9-2 record.
 
Setting the tone in the opening moments of the game, Christopher Newport put its defense on full display from the very beginning. After an unsettled situation, Auslander was forced to mark an attackman on the right side of the cage during an initial push by the Mustangs. The sophomore midfielder held strong on the defensive end, pushing back against several dodges before Hanway swallowed Stevenson's first on-target attempt.
 
Continuing to star on the defensive side, Phoenix Hines harassed a long pole and stripped him on SU's next rally before Hanway walled off the right pipe on another surge. Later, Miles Collins rode an attacker around the crease, stayed in his face, and forced an off-balance shot, which Hanway quickly nabbed.
 
Following the defensive heroics, the offense found its footing. In the sixth minute, Auslander was isolated in a one-on-one situation. Bursting to his right, he slipped under the Mustang and unleashed a pinpoint pass across the zone to Brendes. Showcasing his athleticism, the sophomore elevated along the crease, snagged the feed, and fired a mid-air missile on the doorstep for the game's first goal.
 
Staring at an early deficit, Stevenson fired back. The hosts drove home two straight strikes to grab their first lead of the game with only a few minutes left in the first quarter. Still attacking, they eventually earned an extra-man situation at the tail end of the period, but Young brushed aside the threat. Leading the man-down unit, he battled through a screen and broke up an initial play before disrupting a pass that dribbled out-of-bounds, which ended the surge.
 
In the second quarter, Stevenson stretched its lead to 3-1 before Christopher Newport stepped up on the defensive end once again. After the Mustangs won the ensuing faceoff, Wayne immediately ripped the ball away from an attackman on the left side of the field. Shortly thereafter, Jack Cook clamped down on a clear attempt before Wayne and Auslander teamed up on another takeaway along the left sideline in the 18th minute.
 
Immediately after his second caused turnover of the period, Wayne secured the roller and kicked off a fast break. The senior fed the ball to Brendes, who tossed it up the field to Rice. After slipping behind the defense on a breakaway, Rice lined a blast into the lower left corner of the cage for the squad's second goal of the contest.
 
Back within one, Christopher Newport settled in for a defensive battle over the final 12 minutes of the first half. Kicking things off, Wayne continued his impressive run by pouncing on a loose ball during a scrum on the left side of the zone to flip possession midway through the period.
 
Later, Young jumped a passing lane and knocked down a feed before kicking off a successful clear. After the Mustangs returned to the offensive side of the field, Burke Widhelm battled through traffic to snag a roller following a save by Hanway, and Wheeler made a leaping interception to stunt another lengthy rally to help the Captains keep the deficit at one entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the Captains immediately pulled even. Less than two minutes into the third, Auslander found himself isolated with a long pole. Creating a little space, he flashed some fancy footwork with a quick cut to his right, which sent the defender crashing to the turf. With an open lane, he threaded a pass to Brendes, who unleashed a stinger from the top of the zone to even the score at three.
 
Four minutes later, after Hanway made his third save of the period, Cook shoveled the deflection to Young, who burst up the field. With the Mustangs struggling to catch up, the defenseman found Rice, who painted the right pipe with a bullet to break the 3-3 deadlock.
 
After Stevenson knotted the score again midway through the third period, Sands won the ensuing faceoff and handed possession back to the attack. Just seconds later, Auslander inched his way around the right side of the crease before connecting with Brendes, who skipped a bounce shot into the back of the cage for his third goal of the game.
 
Back on top, the defense never let Stevenson pull even again. Late in the third quarter, Hanway built a wall in the crease. He kicked off his run with a save on a high rocket before blocking another blast with his chest during a man-down situation. Moments later, with time ticking down in the stanza, he added a kick save along the right pipe before Young grabbed the rebound and jump-started a last-second rally.
 
With only a few ticks left on the clock, Young sent a pass to Cook at midfield. Keeping the pressure on Stevenson's defense, Cook found Brendes, who connected with Auslander. Pushing up the right side of the zone, Auslander flipped the ball inside to Jackson Deal, who caught the feed in traffic and sliced a shot just inside the left post to beat the horn and seal a 6-4 lead entering the final quarter.
 
Keeping the momentum in the fourth, Hanway made two early saves before the offense struck again. This time, Hines set a perfect pick to bounce a Stevenson defender and create some space for Rice. Taking advantage, the senior rolled over the top and launched his third goal of the game to grab a 7-4 cushion.
 
Although the hosts responded with their fifth goal, Christopher Newport's defense had an answer. Punctuating an offensive stand by Stevenson, Wayne cracked the stick out of the hands of an attacker and sent it spiraling 10 feet into the air. After dodging the shrapnel and securing the ball, he initiated another fast-break opportunity.
 
Taking advantage, a pair of defensive midfielders teamed up for Christopher Newport's eighth goal. Pushing the tempo, Griffin Hanes charged up the field on the clear before tossing the ball to Collins, who uncorked a rocket on the run, which gave the visitors an 8-5 advantage.

After Wayne used another stick lift to record his fourth takeaway of the contest midway through the stanza, the offense added two more nails. With six minutes remaining, Brendes dipped inside, drew the attention of two defenders, and found Brady Altobello, who filled the opening and deposited on the interior. Moments later, the pair teamed up again as Altobello capitalized on another assist with a laser from the left side, which capped off the scoring.
 
Fittingly, with time winding down, the defense added the final punctuation mark. On a clear attempt, Hines stripped a midfielder to keep possession and run crucial time off the clock. Later, in the waning seconds, Hanway snagged the last on-target attempt of the game to lock up the 10-5 win.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Stevenson, 47-31, and held a 41-31 lead in ground balls. Frustrating the Mustangs all day long, the Captains had 15 takeaways during the game, while the hosts had seven failed clears. Young had six ground balls to go along with his three caused turnovers, while Wheeler and Campbell Pozin helped anchor the short-sticks with three rollers apiece.
 
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