BUENA VISTA, Va. -- Bolstered by a 10-goal second quarter, the second-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team rolled past Southern Virginia, 22-10, during a non-conference showdown on Wednesday evening at Knight Stadium.

Headlining Christopher Newport's offensive attack, Coby Auslander collected six points, including five goals. Alex Brendes and Andrew Cook also landed four strikes apiece, while Drew Miller handed out three assists. 

Meanwhile, Dylan Rice made a little history of his own while contributing his 10th hat-trick of the year. Wednesday's outing marked his 20th straight game with at least one goal dating back to April 24, 2021. That equals the longest scoring streak in program history, which was originally established by Brendes from February 15, 2020 through May 1, 2021.

Also adding his name to the history books, Zac Hanway tied former All-American Matt Hayden for the most wins in a single season in program history after notching his 13th of the year. Meanwhile, the junior goalie also became just the third Captain to eclipse 300 career saves, joining Hayden, Andy McGregor, and Scott McAneney in the exclusive club.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 13-0 on the season. The setback drops Southern Virginia to 7-3.

At the start of the first quarter, the Captains grabbed a lead following a unique situation. After a defensive stand, Christopher Newport faced a 10-man ride with Hanway possessing the ball in the crease. Eventually, the junior goalie found a lane and went coast-to-coast while attempting a pointblank shot against the opposing keeper. Although Southern Virginia stoned the initial rip, the visitors kept the ball on the offensive end.

Positioned near midfield, Auslander eventually snatched an errant pass on the ensuing clear attempt, stormed in, and scored on the doorstep for a fast 1-0 lead.

Continuing to excel on the clear, Miller ripped the stick right out of the hands of a midfielder during SVU's next attempt before Auslander dislodged the ball from another Knight along the left sideline to stymie a third surge. Later, after the hosts finally worked the ball into their offensive end, Burke Widhelm stuck to the hip of an attackman and forced an off-balance shot, which Hanway stoned along the right pipe.

Following the defensive stand, the opening quarter became a seesaw affair with the two teams trading blows over the final eight minutes. For the Captains, Auslander added his second goal after snatching a deflection off an initial shot by Rice. Later, Widhelm broke up a pass along the crease before Brendes capitalized on a quick clear with a long-range rocket to gain a 3-2 edge entering the second period.

With a fresh 15 minutes on the scoreboard, Christopher Newport broke the game open. Setting the tone on the defensive side, Phoenix Hines stripped a midfielder during Southern Virginia's initial possession before Max Wayne de-sticked a Knight with a devastating hit on the next rally. Shortly thereafter, Rice thwarted an SVU clear attempt with a trail check before Miller found Brendes in transition for the team's fourth goal.

After that point, the floodgates began to open. Cook found himself isolated one-on-one with a Knight and battled through contact before whipping his first strike. Later, Rice showed his strength on both sides of the ball. First, he fought through a defender during an inside roll before depositing his first goal on the interior. Shortly thereafter, on another clear attempt, he bodied up a midfielder and drove him out-of-bounds to force the turnover.

Continuing the assault, Auslander added his third goal off a quick feed from Brendes before Rice came back with his second strike after skipping a low liner through the keeper. Moments later, Widhelm secured the roller off the ensuing faceoff before pushing the ball up the field. Eventually, the long pole stayed in on the offensive end, snared a pass from Miller, and whistled a 15-yard missile just under the crossbar to secure a 9-2 edge.

Keeping the momentum, Will Stockhausen dodged a defender and unloaded a screamer inside the left pipe, while Cook dotted the top right corner of the cage for an 11-2 lead after a Southern Virginia timeout.

Although the Knights snapped the nine-goal streak with a tally of their own, Christopher Newport retaliated with two darts in the final minute of the first half. Kicking off the late surge, Rice drew a double-team and quickly found Cook, who snuck free on a back-cut before landing the team's 12th tally. Twenty seconds later, following a faceoff win by Warner Cabaniss, Stockhausen pushed the pace before feeding back to Miles Collins, who whistled a goal on the move for a 13-3 lead.

Entering halftime with a double-digit advantage, Auslander continued the offensive showcase with a high-rising rocket from the right side less than a minute into the third stanza. Although Southern Virginia orchestrated a solid run and chipped away at its deficit with three straight goals, Christopher Newport never lost its rhythm.

Following Brendes' third tally of the game in the 36th minute, Christopher Newport's defense stepped up. Ryan Young forced a turnover with a stick lift before Hanway made a tremendous save during an odd-man rush. Later, Cook threw an attackman out-of-bounds to register a takeaway, while Hanway came back with another stop on a low-to-high bullet.

While the defense smothered the Knights, the offense continued to do its job as well. Auslander burned up the field for a quick transition goal following Hanway's sixth stop of the game. Later, Brendes elevated for a mid-air missile, and Collins added his second dagger off a clean faceoff victory by Zack Sands.

Still holding a double-digit lead at 18-8 entering the final stanza, Christopher Newport eased into the victory. Opening up the action in the fourth quarter, Cook used a slick swim move while switching hands before unloading a lefty laser into the right corner of the cage. Shortly thereafter, Jackson Deal won a battle with two Knights to secure a well-earned ground ball before flipping to Robby Adams, who unleashed a sidewinder for a 20-9 edge.

With little left to prove on the offensive end, Auslander connected with Rice during a speedy clear for the 21st tally, while Logan Shassian added the final blow after snatching an errant shot before rolling around the left pipe and capitalizing from close range.

Later, the defense closed out the festivities with one final showcase. Tyler Lamb blocked a shot with six minutes left, Brett Kropinski knocked the ball away during a clear attempt, and Young added a nice deflection during a man-down situation. Then, Ryan Cammarata bullied an attacker and forced an off-target attempt along the left post before disrupting another rip with a solid slide in the center of the zone. Finally, Andrew Clark punctuated the game with a save on Southern Virginia's last shot to close out the 22-10 win.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 67-38 advantage in shots and a 45-35 lead in ground balls. The Captains also won 21 of the game's 36 faceoffs, including a 13-for-20 performance by Cabaniss. Additionally, Michael Brost won all three of his battles in the fourth quarter to help control possession late in regulation.

Christopher Newport will now have a lengthy layoff before returning home for a showdown with No. 1 Salisbury on April 16 at 4 p.m.

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