NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Capping off an undefeated regular season, the top-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team capitalized on record-setting efforts by Dylan Rice and Coby Auslander to storm past Colorado College, 26-3, on a sizzling Sunday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

Against the Tigers, Rice finished with five goals and four assists during another well-rounded showcase. Aided by that performance, the fifth-year phenom established new single-season program records for points and goals. His 90 points this year broke All-American Matt Crist's previous standard of 86 set in 2018. Meanwhile, his 60 goals eclipsed the old mark of 56, which he shared along with former legend Will Geise, who was fittingly on hand to join in the celebration while serving as the play-by-play broadcaster for the game.

In addition to Rice's historic performance, Auslander also set a new single-season mark with his 41st assist. That eclipsed Crist's record of 40 set in 2017.

Along with the history-makers, Alex Brendes drove home four goals, while Drew Miller had six points, including his third hat-trick of the year. Overall, Christopher Newport's 26 goals equaled the third-most in program history.

On the defensive side, the Captains baited Colorado College into 31 turnovers. Auslander, Burke Widhelm, and Phoenix Hines all had three takeaways apiece, while Max Wayne notched a pair during another impressive effort from his perch on the back line.

Excelling in all facets of the game, Christopher Newport also won 20 of the game's 33 faceoffs, including an 11-for-18 performance by Warner Cabaniss. The freshman also secured six ground balls, pushing his season total to 104. With that performance, he joined former stars Brandon Moloney and Tony Cruz as the only Captains with at least 100 ground balls in a single campaign.

With the victory, Christopher Newport polished off the regular season with a pristine 16-0 record. Meanwhile, the setback dropped Colorado College to 5-8.

After a quick turnaround following a 24-1 victory over Mary Washington on Saturday afternoon, the Captains were unfazed by the lack of rest. Less than 30 seconds into regulation, Auslander got things rolling with a lefty sweep following a 15-yard burst that gave the hosts a fast 1-0 lead.

Quickly extending the edge, Brady Altobello added the squad's second goal before Ryan Young put on a show. The junior defenseman snagged an errant pass on the back side and rumbled up the field on a one-man fast-break before lighting up the cage with a long-pole laser for a 3-0 advantage.

Later, Rice flashed some toughness on the last two goals of the opening period. On the first one, he took an absolute blast to the body off a rip from the outside. Incredibly, the ball skipped up in the air and deflected to Brendes, who collected the trash and slipped in his first goal.

Less than a minute later, after shaking off the bruise, Rice worked his way into an open lane before snaring a feed from Brendes. Kicking off his afternoon, he quickly converted after snapping off a screamer despite taking a big hit from a defender just as he released the ball.

After carrying a 5-1 lead into the second quarter, Christopher Newport quickly extended its edge. On a fast clear, Aidan Wheeler connected with Rice, who found Miller on the doorstep for a rapid-fire blast. Moments later, after Wayne stripped an attacker with a terrific trail-check behind the crease, Andrew Cook poured in the squad's seventh goal after going top shelf with a scorcher in the 18th minute.

Following the visitor's second goal, the Captains answered with another tally suited for the circus. During a remarkable play, Will Stockhausen rifled a shot from deep. Although the ball sailed past the left pipe, it deflected off of Jackson Deal and skipped back over the cage before finding its way into Miller's stick. With the defense still searching for the ricochet, Miller simply dropped in his second goal along the right post.

Holding an 8-2 edge, Miller and Rice came through with a fantastic showcase over the final eight minutes of the first half to stretch the lead to 14-2. During the late push, the two stars had a hand in six straight goals. Miller broke the ankles of a defender behind the cage before assisting on a man-up rocket by Altobello. Later, he unleashed a dip-and-dunk on the doorstep for his third tally before dishing another helper to Brendes.

Meanwhile, Rice found Brett Jackson for a quick transition goal before adding two straight daggers in the final 20 seconds of the period. First, he teamed up with Auslander on a simultaneous record-breaker. On the play, Auslander broke down a defender with a stutter-step before handing possession to Rice, who launched from the left side. That marked Auslander's 41st assist and Rice's 57th goal of the year.

Seconds later, after a clean faceoff win by Cabaniss, the freshman pushed the tempo. With time ticking down, Rice grabbed control and found a one-on-one match-up. Taking advantage, he sidestepped his defender before punching home his third strike, which gave the hosts a 14-2 lead.

In the second half, Christopher Newport continued its offensive assault. Just over a minute into the third quarter, Rice capitalized on a feed from Miller for his fourth goal before Stockhausen joined the fun with his first blast. Later, Rice served as the facilitator on a bullet by Brendes, which handed the squad a 17-2 edge.

While the offense was nearly unstoppable, the defense was equally relentless. The Captains kept pressure on Colorado College and were especially effective on the clear. During the middle of the period, Auslander ripped away a pass near midfield, Rice drove a Tiger out-of-bounds along the right sideline, and Brandon Young clamped down on a third straight attempt with a takeaway that led to Rice's fifth goal.

Keeping the pressure on, Hines swarmed an attacker and forced a turnover before kick-starting a quick clear. Eventually, Young flipped the ball to Maxwell Gladieux, who broke out a pump-fake before cracking his first goal of the year.

After that point, Zack Sands took control. The second-year faceoff specialist was electric at midfield. Breaking down the opposition with a string of quick victories, he served as the focal point on back-to-back goals. First, he collected a clean win and pushed forward before finding Rice, who connected with Brendes on a skip pass for the team's 20th goal.

Just over 20 seconds later, after Sands added his second straight victory in decisive fashion, Luke Nardone cut around a defender for his first tally, which pushed Christopher Newport's lead to 21-2.

After the two teams traded goals at the tail end of the third period, including a rip from Auslander, the Captains eased into the victory during the final 15 minutes.

Adding a few more highlights, Jackson buried a submarine shot just under the crossbar to kick off the fourth quarter. Later, Brett Kropinski gobbled up a loose ball on the defensive end and took care of the rest by himself. The junior went right up the gut on a 70-yard sprint before capitalizing on a coast-to-coast goal.

Still rolling along, Trey Landolfi made two straight saves to quiet the Tigers before the offense polished off the game. First, Will Mercado added a tremendous highlight to his reel. The junior ping-ponged through the defense during a remarkable run. He kicked off his journey by shaking a defender with some fancy footwork at the top of the zone. After cutting inside, he took a blow to the head from a second defender and then burst through a double-team before finally depositing on the doorstep.

Moments later, Jordan Lee capped off the afternoon after slipping through three defenders and avoiding a slide before taking advantage of a feed from Matt Rice for his second goal of the year.

Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Colorado College, 70-20. The Captains also held a 51-27 edge in ground balls. Along with Cabaniss' six rollers, Auslander, Widhelm, and Hines had four apiece.

Christopher Newport will now have a lengthy layoff before returning to action for the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship on May 7. After claiming the regular season league title, the Captains will square off with the survivor of a semifinal showdown between No. 3 Salisbury and Mary Washington, which will take place on May 3.

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