FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Alex Brendes and Andrew Cook both hit career milestones while leading the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team to a record-setting 27-13 victory at Mary Washington in a Coastal Lacrosse Conference tilt on Saturday afternoon at the Battleground Turf Field.

Against the Eagles, Brendes registered six points, including the 200th of his career. That placed him alongside former All-Americans Dylan Rice and Matt Crist as the only Captains to join that exclusive club. Meanwhile, Cook became just the seventh player to eclipse 100 career goals. Incredibly, he reached that milestone in just his 35th appearance at Christopher Newport, making him the fastest player in program history to accomplish that feat.

Along with Brendes, Coby Auslander, Danny McMinn, and Drew Miller all had six points apiece. Helping facilitate the attack, Auslander handed out five assists, which equaled the ninth-most by a player in school history.

Taking advantage of the well-balanced attack, Christopher Newport eventually tossed 18 goals on the board in the first 30 minutes of action. That set a new single-half scoring record, breaking the previous mark of 15 set against Southern Virginia on April 4, 2015 and matched against Randolph-Macon on March 17, 2021.

Overall, the 27 total goals were the fourth-most in school history. It also marked the finest effort in a road tilt, topping the team's 25-goal eruption just seven days ago at Stockton.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 14-1 on the season, including 3-1 in league action. The setback dropped Mary Washington to 6-8 overall and 0-3 in conference play.

Right from the start, Auslander found his rhythm. The senior used a pair of quick dodges at the top of the zone to set up the squad's first two goals by Brendes and Cook. Moments later, after Miller broke out a spin move to shake a defender, Auslander caught the ensuing pass and capitalized along the crease for a 3-1 edge.

Continuing the onslaught in the fifth minute, Zac Hanway pocketed a save, which kicked off a fast break. After collecting the roller, Burke Widhelm steamed up the field. Eventually, the defenseman handed the ball off to Campbell Pozin, who shoveled it to Brendes. Completing the around-the-horn strike, Brendes flipped it to Miller, who unloaded from the left side.

Still rolling, Brendes came back with his second dagger off a feed from Miller before Warner Cabaniss joined the fun. On the subsequent faceoff, the sophomore sensation won the clamp, grabbed the ball, and barreled up the field before painting the right pipe with his second goal of the year.

Staring at a 6-1 deficit, Mary Washington whistled for a timeout, but the stoppage did little to turn the tide. Following the break, Brendes and Brett Jackson teamed up on back-to-back goals before Cook hit the century mark after depositing his 100th dagger with five minutes left in the period. 

While the offense was landing blow after blow, the defense was equally dominant. Daniel Siaton made a nice snag on a behind-the-back pass to kill off a rally by the Eagles in the middle of the stanza. Later, the man-down crew shook off a penalty after Widhelm collected an errant pass and cleared the defensive zone.

Shortly thereafter, Aidan FitzGerald and Maxwell Gladieux absolutely mauled an attacker during a double-team before burying him into the turf along the right sideline.

Meanwhile, the offense polished off the opening frame with two late tallies. Brendes connected with Miller on a skip pass before Carson Hoffman circled around the right post and whipped a missile past the keeper, which handed the visitors an 11-2 edge.

The 11 goals equaled the most in a single quarter in program history.

Following a historic first quarter, Christopher Newport kept up its lethal assault in the second frame. Less than two minutes into the new period, Robby Adams landed a dagger from deep to secure a double-digit lead. Moments later, during a man-up situation, Auslander drew a second pole at the top of the zone before shuffling the ball over to Cook, who took advantage of the open spaces with his third goal of the contest.

Keeping up the pressure on the back end as well, Brandon Young came through with a trail-check to rip possession away from an Eagle during a clear before FitzGerald used a stick-lift to force an off-kilter pass, which Will Mercado quickly corralled.

After the defensive stand, Miller kept control while worming his way through three defenders on the left side of the field. After escaping the crowd, he tossed the ball to Jackson, who sniped from the right alley.

Although the hosts answered with their fourth goal, Christopher Newport fired back. Hammering the Eagles in transition, Mercado dished a pass down low to Jamie Smith. Catching the feed on his knees, the freshman never even attempted to stand up. Instead, he used the angle to his advantage and sliced a shot around the legs of the keeper for his second goal of the year.

Continuing to shine along the crease, McMinn burned around the left pipe and tiptoed along the circle before sinking a screamer from close range. Then, Siaton dodged from the top of the zone, slipped inside, and converted in traffic after avoiding three Eagles on the way to the team's 17th goal.

With more than enough cushion, the defense stepped up again while putting a lid on the UMW attack. First, during a man-down situation, Young applied pressure and forced a sidearm shot, which Hanway swallowed in the cage. Then, after returning to even strength, Mason Beckmeyer bullied an attacker into an awkward turnaround attempt along the right side of the crease, which Hanway handled again.

Fostering a 17-5 lead, the Captains were finally slowed by the weather. With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, the teams had to clear the field with thunderstorms in the area. The lightning delay eventually lasted nearly two hours before play resumed.

Showing no signs of rust, Christopher Newport immediately slapped its 18th goal on the board following a strike by Cook to snatch an 18-5 lead heading into an abbreviated halftime.

Following the break, Mary Washington opened the scoring before the Captains orchestrated another rapid-fire response. Headlining the third-quarter surge, McMinn scored a pair of goals while assisting on a dagger by Easton Lanclos. Later, Smith came back with his second dart after spinning through three defenders along the left post.

After the Eagles added their seventh goal, McMinn and Smith struck again. First, in transition, McMinn connected with Beckmeyer for a little long-pole lightning. Then, after Cole Evans secured the next faceoff, he pushed forward and found Smith, who laced another laser from the left side to complete his first career hat-trick.

Holding a 24-9 lead entering the final 15 minutes, Christopher Newport eased into the victory. Continuing to star on both ends of the field, the Captains stepped up on the defensive side early in the period. Trey Landolfi made a terrific save to thwart a breakaway. Shortly thereafter, Matthew Birken gobbled up a bad pass along the crease to kill off the next rally before Gabe Montognese bodied up an attacker and forced a turnover during a physical altercation at the top of the zone.

Later in the period, Brennan Kaut punched the ball out of the stick of an Eagle and pieced together a lengthy ride on the left side of the field, which helped bottle up a Mary Washington surge.

Meanwhile, on the offensive end, the Captains tacked on three late goals. Auslander teamed up with Miller during a man-up situation to open the fourth-quarter scoring. Later, Matt McCabe found Bryan Reilly charging down the center of the zone for the squad's 26th goal before Jude MacLean drove home the final nail with his first career strike.

On the play, the freshman won a scramble for the ball after it skipped off the turf. Securing possession while blanketed by three defenders, he eventually rolled through the crowd and burned a blast into the top right corner of the cage for the squad's final tally.

During the game, Christopher Newport held a 57-39 advantage in shots and a 45-30 lead in ground balls. Cabaniss led the way with seven rollers while winning 13 of his 15 faceoffs. Overall, the Captains captured 28 of the game's 44 total draws, which marked the fourth-most victories in program history.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Hanway finished the contest with seven saves while picking up his 44th career win, tying former All-American Matt Hayden for the most in school history.

The Captains will return to action on April 29 when the team caps off the regular season with a home game against Kean at 5 p.m.

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