SALISBURY, Md. -- Polishing off the 2021 campaign with one final historic performance, senior Dylan Rice broke the program's career points record, but his efforts were not quite enough to carry the squad to a victory as the ninth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team saw its remarkable run come to an end with an 18-8 setback to No. 2 Salisbury during the NCAA Semifinals on Sunday at Sea Gull Stadium.
 
With his 10th hat-trick of the season, Rice pushed his career point total to 234, passing former All-American Matt Crist's previous school record of 232. Fittingly, he accomplished the feat on the same field where Crist registered his final collegiate point during the third round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
 
Along with Rice, Brady Altobello also added three goals against the Sea Gulls, while Coby Auslander handed out a pair of assists. Meanwhile, faceoff specialist Zack Sands also made some history on Sunday. During the contest, he won eight faceoffs and collected four ground balls. With that showcase, the first-year star wrapped up the season with 192 faceoff victories and 98 ground balls. Both of those totals established new freshman records, breaking the marks held by Nick Kirschke and Ari Elgort, respectively.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport wraps up its season with a 13-6 record, while Salisbury advances to the NCAA Championship with a 17-1 mark. The Sea Gulls will contend for national supremacy against No. 3 RIT on May 30 in East Hartford, Connecticut.
 
In the fourth showdown between the two programs this year, Christopher Newport got off to a fast start. Despite a quick turnaround from their overtime marathon on Saturday, the Captains found their rhythm early. Less than two minutes into the game, Campbell Pozin connected with Jack Cook, who unleashed some long-pole lightning with a low liner into the back of the cage, which gave the visitors an initial advantage.
 
Two minutes later, after Aidan Wheeler forced a turnover and cleared the defensive end, the attack took control again. Settling in during a man-up situation, the Captains methodically worked the ball around the zone. Squeezing the defense, Will Stockhausen pushed in towards the left pipe before slipping the ball back out to Coby Auslander. Changing direction, Auslander fed to Altobello, who snapped off a side-winder for a 2-0 lead.
 
Keeping the pressure on the Sea Gulls, Christopher Newport returned to the offensive end just over a minute later. Although Salisbury held up against the initial rush, the hosts could not clear the ball. Jackson Deal pummeled a defender to his knees with an aggressive check near midfield. After Thomas Mark collected the loose ball, he forced his way up the field and caused the SU back line to step up and defend the entry.
 
Filling the vacated space on the interior, Rice slipped in along the left post, caught the pass, juked the goalie, and deposited the squad's third straight goal.
 
Although Salisbury got onto the board in the seventh minute, the Captains continued to strike. On SU's next trip down the field, Zac Hanway came through with a huge save before Cook won a battle for control after scooping up the roller in the middle of a crowd. Moments later, Altobello utilized a pick by Auslander to roll over the top of the defense before burying a low shot for his second dagger.
 
With time winding down in the first quarter, Christopher Newport continued to serve as the aggressor. Following an errant shot by the Sea Gulls, Pozin flashed his wheels, making up 10 yards on an attackman to win a foot race to the sideline and flip possession.
 
Less than a minute later, following a successful clear, Drew Miller found Rice, who buzzed a screamer past the earhole of a defender and into the top right corner of the cage for his record-setting 233rd career point.
 
Staring at a 5-1 deficit, Salisbury picked up the pace. Withstanding the initial surge, Burke Widhelm tied up an attacker and forced an off-balance shot, which Hanway pocketed. Shortly thereafter, Griffin Hanes and Max Wayne swarmed a Sea Gull on an insertion before Hanway made a body save to keep the hosts in check.
 
Unfortunately, the mounting pressure eventually broke through. Finding their groove, the Sea Gulls scored three straight goals at the end of the first quarter to pull back within one. Then, in the second stanza, Salisbury continued the assault with three more strikes in the first two minutes to steal a 7-5 edge.
 
Looking to stem the tide, Cook deflected a pass towards the center of the field before Pozin cleared the zone. After the Sea Gulls returned on an odd-man rush, Auslander hustled across the field and put pressure on a shooter, forcing a quick attempt to squirt high, which handed the ball back to the visitors.
 
Later, with time winding down in the first half, Ryan Young collected a loose ball and bolted up the field before handing possession back to the offense, which gave the defense a brief respite. Minutes later, Salisbury returned to the offensive end, but Widhelm batted down a feed to disrupt the rally.
 
Sadly, the Sea Gulls were undeterred. Continuing to stretch their lead, the hosts slapped three more goals on the board to nab a 10-5 advantage entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the defense looked reenergized. Facing a man-down situation, Hanway made a gorgeous stop after an attacker broke free on a clean rush towards the cage. On Salisbury's next trip down the field, Hanes stuck to a Sea Gull and forced an off-target pass, which Aidan FitzGerald punched away along the left post.
 
Continuing the defensive stand in the middle of the period, Phoenix Hines bodied up a midfielder and stayed in his grill while blanketing the right side of the turf. Shortly thereafter, Salisbury orchestrated a free run on the left side, but Cook made his presence felt. The senior barreled down the field, caught up to the surge, and deflected a rip just enough to send the ball dribbling towards the crease for an easy pick-up by Hanway.
 
Unfortunately, Salisbury continued to press forward. Eventually, the hosts added five more goals to their ledger during the third stanza to grab a 15-5 edge entering the final frame.
 
Despite the 10-goal deficit, Christopher Newport never conceded. Making the Sea Gulls work for every inch, Young came through with a diving stick-check to swipe possession away from a midfielder just moments into the fourth quarter. Seconds later, the Captains made SU pay for a penalty.
 
With a man-up situation, Auslander found Altobello anchored at the top of the zone. With some traffic in his way, the junior simply wound up and fired. Ducking at the last second, Rice just avoided the blast as the ball screamed over his head and into the back of the net for Altobello's third tally of the game.
 
Although Salisbury responded with a goal just six seconds later, Sands won the ensuing faceoff following a vicious scrum in the middle of the field. After collecting his record-tying 97th ground ball, the freshman phenom motored forward. Taking care of the rest by himself, he faked a pass to his left, freed up some space, and buried a dagger for his fourth goal of the season.
 
Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Hines continued to torment the opposition as he shadowed another attacker before dropping the hammer to force a turnover, which punctuated a lengthy stand by Salisbury. Later, Wheeler found himself isolated one-on-one with a Sea Gull behind the crease. Taking advantage, he rode the attacker towards the end line before punching him out-of-bounds for another takeaway.
 
Although SU eventually added two late goals, Christopher Newport put a fitting punctuation mark on the season with one last highlight in the final minute.
 
Fighting until the bitter end, Cook slammed down on a long-pole near midfield to close off a clear attempt by the hosts. Snatching the bouncer, Auslander elevated along the sideline and flipped the ball back into the field before it trickled across the boundary. On the other end, Hanes took possession and pieced together a fast break.
 
Pushing up the field, the senior fed across the turf to Rice, who had ample space to unleash one more rocket to punctuate the 60-minute battle.
 
Overall, Salisbury held a 46-23 advantage in shots and a 43-24 lead in ground balls. The hosts also won 21 of the 29 faceoffs. For the Captains, Hanway finished with eight saves and three ground balls. Deal also collected three rollers, while Wheeler and Auslander each had two to go along with a pair of takeaways.
 
Although the season ended one game shy of a berth in the National Championship, the progress made during the year will be cemented in program lore. Just 15 years since the team was founded and only four years since its first postseason victory, Christopher Newport was one of the final four teams standing in the NCAA Tournament. Along the way, the Captains climbed as high as third in the USILA National Coaches Poll, knocked off three top-15 opponents, and made their first appearance in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship.
 
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