LEXINGTON, Va. - Four field goals accounted for all the scoring Saturday night, as Christopher Newport University opened the 2022 football season with a 9-3 victory at Washington and Lee University. The triumph at Wilson Field came in the debut of new CNU Head Coach
Paul Crowley, and kicked off the 22nd season of Captains football.
"It's a very gratifying win for us," Crowley said following the hard-fought opener. "Washington and Lee is a great program, and played in the NCAA Tournament last year. A lot of guys really stepped up and made big plays when we needed them, including a number of freshmen. I'm really proud of what we were able to accomplish and this is the kind of victory we can build on."
Senior kicker
Ryan Castle drilled all three of his field goal attempts to supply all the points the Captains would need, as CNU's defense held the Generals scoreless until the 4:55 mark of the fourth quarter. After Washington and Lee kicker Arturo Ramirez connected from 34 yards to make it 9-3, the Captains took over at the 25 yard line on a touchback, and proceeded to run the clock out to seal the triumph. Christopher Newport picked up three first downs on the final drive to kill the clock, including a conversion by junior quarterback
Matt Dzierski on a fourth down. Dzierski scampered up the middle on a fourth-and-three situation, gaining four yards in the final minute to put the game away.
Castle, who made seven of ten field goal attempts last season, opened the scoring early in the second quarter by connecting from 32-yards away.. He added a 19-yard boot with one second remaining in the opening half. After a scoreless third quarter, Castle split the uprights with a 27-yard effort to build a 9-0 lead.
The Captains dominated possession time in the non-conference battle, holding an 11 minute advantage for the night. CNU's stingy defense allowed just 174 total yards for the night, 100 on the ground and 74 passing yards. Junior
Kindrick Braxton tallied ten tackles and senior
Keith Martin registered eight. Freshman
Gary Lane intercepted a pass in the opening half for the game's lone pick.
Dzierski, the New Jersey Athletic Conference's Offensive Player of the Year last year, completed 12 of 21 passes for 180 yards, and also ran the ball 17 times for a net 24 yards. Freshman running back
Gunner White ran the ball 12 times for 56 yards in his first game as a Captain, and fellow freshman running back
Tyler Perry posted 35 yards on six attempts in his debut. Another freshman, wide receiver
Colin Hart, topped the squad with four catches for 43 yards.
The season-opening game, in front of a crowd of 739 fans on a warm and clear night at Wilson Field, was the second meeting ever of the schools. Christopher Newport downed W & L last year, 28-24, in the season opener at TowneBank Stadium. The Generals would recover from the loss to finish 8-3, and win the Old Dominion Athletic Conference crown.
Crowley, who played offensive line for the Captains from 2005-2008, previously served as an assistant as well as recruiting coordinator. He was named the third head coach in CNU football history last December after serving as interim head coach for a month.
Christopher Newport next will open its home schedule next Saturday, September 10th, at TowneBank Stadium. CNU hosts Averett University (0-1) in a 7:00 p.m. kickoff in the first of four straight home games for the Captains. Averett opened its season with a 27-14 loss to the Apprentice School on Saturday in Danville.
