NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Digging out of a two-goal hole in the fourth quarter, the sixth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team pieced together a thrilling second-half rally as the Captains erased their deficit on the way to an 11-9 victory over No. 13 Lynchburg on a spectacular Saturday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.

Trailing by two at halftime and three in the third quarter, CNU battled back with an epic surge. Coby Auslander carved up the Hornets with six points, including the equalizer in the 52nd minute and the final dagger with 70 seconds left in regulation. He also assisted on Robby Adams' go-ahead rip in the fourth quarter, which gave the hosts their first lead since the opening minutes of the contest.

Along with Auslander, Andrew Cook added five points, including his sixth hat-trick of the year. Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Christopher Newport registered 17 takeaways. Brandon Young, Colin DeGrassi, and Ryan Young all had two apiece on the back line, while Zac Hanway pocketed 11 saves during his time between the pipes.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 7-2 on the season, while the setback dropped Lynchburg to 3-4.

Staring at a 5-3 deficit at halftime, the Captains quickly fell behind by three in the third stanza after Lynchburg landed a blow just 80 seconds into the period. Needing to regroup, Christopher Newport settled in during a hard-fought battle on the ensuing faceoff.

Although the Hornets came away with possession, Warner Cabaniss tracked down the opposing faceoff specialist and punched the ball free with a gorgeous trail-check. With the ball bouncing around near the crease, AJ Rosacker bolted in and bodied up a midfielder before DeGrassi snatched the roller and flipped possession to Luke Nardone.

Sprinting up the right sideline, Nardone completed the clear after connecting with Kevin Miller in the right alley. Trailing the play, Ryan Young rumbled into the offensive end looking to make a statement. Eventually, the long-pole caught a flip from Miller and unloaded a missile inside the right pipe for a momentum-turning tally.

Although Lynchburg responded, the Captains had new life. On the defensive end, DeGrassi clamped down on an ensuing surge and deflected a shot that wound up in Auslander's stick. Moments later, he came back with a physical check to rip the ball away from a midfielder before launching another Hornet into the turf with a vicious blow before grabbing his own loose ball.

Meanwhile, Ryan Cammarata stripped an attacker who attempted a dodge along the restraining line, while Hanway collected four saves during a four-minute stretch to keep the Hornets in check.

Still trailing by three, the Captains inched closer with mere seconds left in the quarter. After the visitors were hit with a penalty, Auslander dropped a dime to Drew Miller, who kept his footing along the crease before dunking on the doorstep just before the horn sounded.

In the final frame, CNU continued capitalizing on Lynchburg penalties. Less than two minutes into the period, with the Hornets playing shorthanded again, Alex Brendes took a pass from Cook and skipped a dagger into the bottom left corner of the cage for his first goal of the contest.

Once again, Lynchburg retaliated before Christopher Newport fired back. After Hanway blocked a blast with his body, the offense struck again. Showing incredible vision, Brendes lofted a feed to Auslander, who immediately redirected it towards the crease. With the defense unable to catch up, Cook caught the pass, spun to his right, and cut the squad's deficit down to one.

With work left to do, Cook and Auslander teamed up again for the equalizer less than a minute later. As Cook drew the attention of the defense during a roll up the left alley, Auslander slipped free on the back side along the right post. Eventually, the fifth-year phenom elevated, caught a pass, and burned one behind the keeper to knot the score at eight.

Still battling, Brandon Young intercepted a clear attempt near midfield and gave the ball back to the offense. Looking for the lead, Auslander handed possession to Adams, who bounced a bullet into the back of the cage for a 9-8 advantage.

With time winding down, Cook gave the hosts a little cushion in the 55th minute. Switching hands on a dodge from the left side of the field, he uncorked a righty rip that gave the Captains a two-goal cushion.

After Lynchburg sliced its deficit back down to one with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, the visitors pulled their goalie out of the crease to force a turnover. The strategy failed as Auslander slipped underneath a pair of defenders and beat a third Hornet to the cage before knocking home the empty-netter.

Although the Hornets won the ensuing faceoff, Rosacker came through with a game-sealing strip before John Santoro secured the loose ball and cleared the defensive end, which effectively locked up the come-from-behind victory.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 50-31 advantage in shots and a 35-31 lead in ground balls. Meanwhile, both teams won 11 faceoffs during the back-and-forth affair.

Early in the contest, CNU made a mark on both sides of the ball. First, Aidan Wheeler and Brandon Young crashed down on a shooter and deflected a blast before Kevin Miller won a race to the sideline to gain possession. Moments later, Cook sidestepped a defender and rifled a rocket inside the right pipe for the game's first goal.

Unfortunately, Lynchburg landed a counterpunch. The Hornets slapped three straight strikes on the board during the latter half of the opening period to steal a 3-1 edge after 15 minutes of play.

In the second stanza, Kevin Miller cleaned up some trash while flashing quick hands along the right post. After a laser by Brendes just missed the mark, Miller caught the errant shot and flipped the ball to his older brother, who connected along the left post just before the shot-clock expired.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Rosacker blocked a shot after getting his stick on the hands of an attacker, while Wheeler knocked the ball away from a Hornet who was preparing to unleash a shot from the top of the zone. Unfortunately, the visitors continued to pressure the defense and eventually slipped out to a 5-2 lead entering the final minute of the first half.

Looking to grab a little momentum entering the break, CNU took advantage of a penalty on the Hornets. With an extra man entering the final 15 seconds of the period, Auslander handed possession to Brett Jackson, who found an angle and burned the back of the net with a one-timer to cut the deficit down to two.

Although Lynchburg was able to regain a three-goal cushion in the second half, Christopher Newport fought back to secure the comeback victory.

DeGrassi and Brandon Young both collected three ground balls to go along with their two takeaways, while Cabaniss had five rollers and an 11-for-21 performance on faceoffs. Meanwhile, Kevin Miller added four ground balls during a gritty effort on the offensive end.

CNU will return to action on Wednesday when the squad hosts No. 20 Williams at 4 p.m.

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