NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Four Captains pieced together five-point outings, while Warner Cabaniss added another historic performance on faceoffs as the second-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team brushed aside St. John Fisher, 16-12, on a wintry Wednesday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.

Against the Cardinals, Andrew Cook landed five goals, while Coby Auslander collected a hat-trick and two assists. Additionally, Drew Miller and Alex Brendes chipped in with five points apiece as Christopher Newport hammered St. John Fisher with a well-balanced attack.

Meanwhile, Cabaniss controlled possession throughout the day. The sophomore sensation won 22 faceoffs, equaling the third-highest total by a Captain. He also pocketed 15 ground balls, marking the fourth-most in program history.

Equally effective on the defensive side, Zac Hanway stockpiled 11 saves, including six crucial stops in the fourth quarter to help brush aside St. John Fisher's comeback attempt. Ryan Young and Ryan Cammarata also notched a pair of takeaways on the back line, while Campbell Pozin helped keep the field clean with six ground balls.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 5-0 on the season, while the setback dropped St. John Fisher to 0-2.

Despite an early goal by Will Mercado, the visitors slipped out to a fast 3-1 lead just eight minutes into regulation. Pushing back against the high-powered Cardinal attack, Hanway came through with a pair of saves, while Brandon Young tied up an attacker along the crease to force a turnover at the tail end of the first quarter.

As the defense found its rhythm, Auslander carried the Captains on the other end of the field. Late in the opening stanza, he dusted a defender on a run from the right sideline before finding Cook rolling on the inside for a quick strike. Then, he kicked off the second period with an interception near midfield on a failed clear by the Cardinals. Making the opposition pay, he quickly flipped the ball to Miller, who knotted the game at three.

Although St. John Fisher broke the deadlock, Cabaniss had an answer. In the span of six seconds, the second-year star won the ensuing faceoff, grabbed the loose ball, stormed up the field, and shuffled a pass to Brendes, who sniped the equalizer from the left wing.

Trading blows, the Cardinals responded before Miller dropped a dime over the head of two defenders. On the receiving end, Cook caught the flip and whistled a scorcher from the left side, which knotted the game at five.

Back on even ground, Auslander went to work. With nine minutes left in the half, he used a stutter-step to get a defender off-balance before diving across the crease on the way to his first goal. Moments later, while dodging down the alley, he used a pair of pump-fakes to clear out the defense before taking care of business by himself on the way to a 7-5 lead.

Still rolling, Miller added Christopher Newport's fourth straight goal after dipping under a defender before landing a blast under the crossbar. A few minutes later, Brendes found Cook, who rifled from long range for a 9-6 advantage.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side, the Captains kept a lid on the Cardinals. During a lengthy stand in the middle of the period, Zack Sands ate up an attacker who attempted to roll over the top of the zone. Later, the third-year standout broke up a pass on the interior to force a turnover and close out the rally.

Then, in the waning moments of the first half, Hanway smothered another on-target rip by the visitors, before Ryan Young forced a pair of turnovers, including a bone-crunching blast that sent a Cardinal spinning into the side of the cage.

After the break, Pozin flashed his wheels on a downhill dodge before slipping a dart into the top right corner of the cage for his first goal of the year. Although St. John Fisher had a response and was able to cut its deficit back down to two at 10-8, Christopher Newport landed a series of counterpunches.

Retaliating on the offensive end, Auslander dunked on the doorstep before Brett Jackson ran right past two defenders on the way to his first tally. Later, Cook added back-to-back daggers, including a late laser after bullying his way through a pair of Cardinals at the top of the zone, which gave the hosts a 14-8 advantage.

Meanwhile, the defense continued to shine. Brett Kropinski had a solid series with three minutes left in the period after breaking up a pass with his body before saving a bouncer from slipping out of bounds on a successful clear. Shortly thereafter, Auslander showed off his speed after catching up to a breakaway while using a trail-check to rip the ball away from the streaker before a shot could be taken.

Entering the final stanza with a six-goal lead, Christopher Newport showed off its man-down unit at the start of the fourth quarter. After the hosts were hit with a two-minute, unreleasable penalty, the downers did their job. Early on, St. John Fisher attempted to break through on the left side of the zone, but Aidan FitzGerald and Brandon Young built a wall that prevented any advances. Eventually, while trying to find an opening, the Cardinals sailed a pass out of bounds.

With possession, Pozin somehow slipped through three defenders while pinned to the left sideline on a successful clear, which helped the Captains kill off the rest of the penalty.

Moments later, Christopher Newport was hit with three penalties in the span of 20 seconds. Although the visitors were able to sneak through a man-up goal, Cabaniss worked miracles on the ensuing faceoff.

Still down two men, the Captains had to play without both wings on the draw. Facing a 3-on-1 situation, Cabaniss simply won the faceoff to himself and handed the ball off to the attack, who helped kill off the remaining time on the penalties.

With little left to prove, Christopher Newport eased into the victory. Brendes added his second blast of the game midway through the fourth quarter, while Mercado drove home the final nail after landing an empty-netter to help close out the 16-12 triumph.

Overall, the Captains held a 47-35 advantage in shots and a 45-31 lead in ground balls. Along with the efforts of Cabaniss and Pozin, Burke Widhelm collected five ground balls, while Sands chipped in with three. Meanwhile, the hosts also won 25 of the game's 32 faceoffs.

Christopher Newport will return to action at home on Saturday when the squad opens up the Coastal Lacrosse Conference season with a noon test against Montclair State.

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