LYNCHBURG, Va. -- After Zac Hanway registered a man-down takeaway with less than a minute left in overtime, Alex Brendes capitalized on the other end of the field with the game-winning strike as the top-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team survived a back-and-forth battle against No. 11 Lynchburg during an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride at Shellenberger Field on Saturday night.

During the contest, Brendes came through with a game-high five goals and added a fitting punctuation mark to the grueling marathon. Over the past three seasons, Christopher Newport and Lynchburg have squared off in three overtime battles. In each of those games, Brendes has landed the decisive blow.

Along with the senior star, Andrew Cook was equally impactful late in the game. Just days after earning a place on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, he showed everyone why he deserves a spot among the greatest lacrosse players in the nation. He came through with five points, including a last-second equalizer that forced overtime. Then, in the extra session, he assisted on Brendes' game-winner.

Brett Jackson also netted a hat-trick for the Captains, while Drew Miller had three points as well. On the other end, Hanway chipped in with 13 saves to go along with his momentum-turning takeaway in overtime. Ryan Young also had four caused turnovers, while Burke Widhelm forced three miscues, including one that punctuated an early offensive stand by the Hornets in the extra period.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 12-0 on the season, while the setback dropped Lynchburg to 7-4.

After the Hornets stole their first lead of the game with less than five minutes left in regulation, the Captains dug in for a contentious fight. Following a save by Hanway, Jackson came through on the offensive end. With a stick in his face, the sophomore barreled through a defender and whistled a one-timer from the left side of the field, which knotted the score at 12.

Moments later, the Hornets regained an edge with just over 90 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Needing a response, Warner Cabaniss showed incredible heart while winning the ensuing faceoff and battling through contact to keep possession before Christopher Newport called for a timeout. Although Lynchburg held up against the Captains initial surge after the break, the Hornets could not complete a successful clear.

Failing to connect on a 60-yard feed, the hosts lost control of the ball after Hanway slipped out of the cage and disrupted an attacker along the left side of the field. Eventually, Young burst onto the scene and punched a roller away from another Hornet before Brandon Young joined the party and snatched possession.

After working the ball back down the field, Christopher Newport settled in on the offensive side again. Although their first three shots were handled by the defense, the Captains still had life with four seconds left on the clock.

On a restart from the end line, Cook burst up the field. Cruising around the left pipe, he used a swim move to get to the inside shoulder of his defender. Now isolated with the keeper, he got the goalie to overextend along the crease before firing a bullet inside the post with 0.2 seconds left on the clock.

Back on even ground, Christopher Newport came through with a huge defensive stand to kick off overtime. Blanketing the field, the Captains allowed just a single, off-target shot before Aidan Wheeler flipped an attacker on his back heading into a Lynchburg timeout.

Following the stoppage, the hosts attempted to feed a pass towards the left pipe, but Widhelm used his stick to tie up a Hornet before winning a scrum for the ball. After gaining possession, he flipped it to Campbell Pozin just before falling out of bounds.

After marching down the field, Christopher Newport unloaded on Lynchburg's defense, but three straight shots sailed over the crossbar. Unfortunately, the Hornets eventually regained possession and drew a penalty on their clear attempt to secure a man-up situation with 40 seconds left in overtime.

Stepping up, Hanway came through with the defensive play of the year. On the restart after the penalty, the Hornets attempted to set up their offense while feeding the ball to an attacker behind the cage. Reading the play perfectly, Hanway vacated the crease and came through with a leaping interception to steal the pass and grab control.

Still shorthanded, Hanway fed the ball to Pozin, who completed the man-down clear while splitting a pair of Hornets. Shortly thereafter, the ball hit the turf, but Wheeler won a race for the roller and tiptoed along the restraining line before firing it back to Pozin.

Taking control during an unsettled situation, Cook eventually gained possession and drew the attention of four defenders, which allowed Brendes to slip in the back side. After snatching a clean feed, the senior circled around the top of the crease, faked high, and shot a low liner around the keeper to cap off the thrilling victory.

Overall, Lynchburg held a 49-44 advantage in shots and a 37-31 lead in ground balls. The Hornets also won 19 of the game's 31 faceoffs, but Christopher Newport's late-game heroics made up for the statistical discrepancies and capped off the victory.

Long before he landed the final highlight of the game, Brendes stole the show in the early going as well. The fourth-year phenom took control of the contest while scoring the game's first four goals. Flashing his arsenal, he landed a pair of rockets from the right side before changing the script on his third tally. After a defender took away his right hand while tying him up at the top of the zone, he simply spun the other way, switched hands, and unleashed a lefty laser, which gave the visitors a quick 3-0 lead.

Moments later, after Cook used a fake flip to create a little space, he spun a seed inside to Brendes, who capped off his early surge with a man-up missile.

Meanwhile, the defense was equally effective in the opening period. Hanway stoned a turnaround rip by the hosts before Widhelm and Ryan Young blanketed an attacker with a double-team along the crease, which forced a turnover. Shortly thereafter, Young teamed up with Daniel Siaton on a quick closeout on the right side of the field, which forced an errant shot.

Although Lynchburg eventually came back and scored a pair of late goals in the opening period, Miller added one of his own after using a stutter-step to shake a defender before burning a shot under the crossbar.

In the second stanza, the Hornets found their rhythm. Unleashing a rapid-fire assault,  the hosts strung together three straight goals to even the score at five midway through the period. After that point, the two teams traded blows. Brendes connected with Coby Auslander along the right pipe before Lynchburg knotted the score again. Moments later, Cook shook a pair of defenders with a slick spin move before sniping from the left side, which gave the visitors a 7-6 lead entering halftime.

Following the break, the defense stepped up. Pozin came through with a strip on the opening series before Young and Widhelm bottled up a breakaway on a quick clear. Later, Ryan Cammarata ate up a series of dodges to prevent a shot from the left wing before Pozin held his ground on the opposite side, which helped force a shot-clock violation with nine minutes left in the period.

Although Lynchburg was eventually able to find an opening while pulling even at seven, Christopher Newport had an immediate response. After shaking off a vicious blow in the center of the offensive zone, Jackson rifled back-to-back goals, including an absolute screamer during a man-up situation that landed in the back of the net before Lynchburg's goalie even reacted in the crease.

Leading by a pair entering the fourth quarter, the Captains quickly stretched their advantage after Miller tossed a feed over the cage to Will Mercado, who dunked on the doorstep. Shortly thereafter, Mercado came back with another dagger less than two minutes later after slipping underneath his defender before tightroping along the crease.

While Mercado was lighting up the scoreboard, Hanway was just as dominant on the other end. During a ridiculous series early in the period, the senior goalie made two stops in the span of two seconds. First, he stoned a long-range rip. Although a second attacker managed to collect the loose ball along the crease, Hanway was there again to stone a pointblank blast as the Hornet attempted a Superman dive on the doorstep.

Unfortunately, after the early highlights in the fourth quarter, the momentum shifted. Lynchburg eventually strung together five straight goals during a seven-minute window, which saw the Hornets grab their first lead of the game. However, Christopher Newport had more left in the tank.

After Jackson and Cook deposited equalizers late in the fourth quarter, Hanway and Brendes came through with the final highlights in the extra session to cap off the win.

Christopher Newport will return to action on April 8 when the Captains continue Coastal Lacrosse Conference play with a 1 p.m. tilt at No. 4 Salisbury.

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