MEDFORD, Mass. -- Alex Brendes led the Captains with four goals, while Ryan Young added five takeaways on the defensive side, but the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team could not quite keep pace with No. 3 Tufts as CNU dropped an 18-10 decision during a non-conference test on Wednesday evening at Bello Field.

Brendes landed a pair of first-quarter strikes before adding two more in the final stanza, while Andrew Cook added a hat-trick of his own, including a rip that gave the visitors a lead early in the opening period. Drew Miller also handed out a pair of assists to help balance out the attack.

On the back side, Young registered a season-high five takeaways while blanketing the high-powered Tufts attack. The five strips equaled the most by a Captain since former legend Burke Widhelm had six caused turnovers against Washington & Lee on March 23, 2022.

With the setback, Christopher Newport dropped to 5-1 on the season, while Tufts improved to 2-0.

Although the Jumbos opened the scoring less than 30 seconds into regulation, CNU quickly regrouped on both ends of the field. First, on the defensive side, Aidan Wheeler circled the zone, avoided a pair of picks, and forced a pass while staying glued to an attacker. Moments later, Zac Hanway came through with back-to-back saves before Mark Davison grabbed a loose ball and started a clear.

Looking to take advantage on the other side, the attack went to work. In the fourth minute, Brendes caught a flip from Miller, sidestepped a defender, and unloaded a high-to-low hammer in the left alley to knot the game at one. Less than a minute later, during a flag-down situation, Cook rolled across the top of the zone with two defenders in tow. Outrunning the back line, he eventually whistled a one-timer to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.

Unfortunately, the Jumbos fired back with four straight goals to grab a 5-2 edge during the latter portion of the opening period.

Needing to reclaim some momentum, Christopher Newport regained its footing. In the 13th minute, Miller snagged a deflection off an initial shot behind the crease. With possession, he quickly connected with Brendes, who was flanked by two defenders. Unfazed by the crowd, the fifth-year sensation managed to uncork a pointblank shot along the left post for his second strike of the stanza.

Meanwhile, the defense also stepped up in the waning moments of the quarter. Young tied up an attacker along the crease and shoved him out of harm's way before Tufts whistled for a timeout to save the possession. Following the stoppage, AJ Rosacker got into the hands of a shooter and forced an attempt to spin over the crossbar, which helped kill off the final surge of the first period.

With a fresh 15 minutes on the clock, Tufts set the tone in the second quarter. Less than three minutes into the stanza, the Jumbos flipped their two-goal lead into an 8-3 cushion.

Battling back, CNU took advantage of a fortunate bounce in the 19th minute. With the shot clock winding down, Brendes tried to connect with Miller along the crease. Although the pass clanked off Miller's stick on the interior, it found its way out to Coby Auslander, who caught the feed and sank a missile before the defense could catch up to the play.

Minutes later, Miller showed incredible patience along the crease. Waiting for someone to slip free, he danced behind the cage before Cook wiggled open near the right post. In a flash, he found the reigning All-American for a quick dunk in the 27th minute.

As the attack chipped away at the deficit, the defense clamped down on the opposite end of the field. Young knotted up a Jumbo and carried him around the left post before forcing a turnover. Shortly thereafter, Hanway went to his knees to stone a bullet during a quick transition before Ryan Cammarata stood up an attacker and won a race for a loose ball despite taking a stick to the back.

Unfortunately, the hosts continued to attack. Finding a groove over the final four minutes of the first half, Tufts slapped four straight goals on the board to snatch a 13-5 edge entering the break.

With the momentum firmly planted on their sideline, the Jumbos continued to stretch their lead in the third quarter. Orchestrating another four-goal surge, the squad locked down a commanding 17-5 advantage midway through the period.

Looking to slow down the Tufts attack, Christopher Newport found some rhythm on the back end in the middle of the period. Young broke up a pass behind the crease, while Zack Sands stayed on the hip of a shooter through a series of dodges before forcing a shot to sail wide. Moments later, Cammarata got into the chest of a defender on a fast-break and caused another errant attempt before Hanway won a scramble for a loose ball along the end line.

Following a timeout, the Captains struck again on the offensive side. Coming out of the break, Will Mercado restarted the action. Isolated on a defender, he circled behind the crease, slammed on the brakes, dipped under his mark, and fired a pellet into the top left corner of the cage for the squad's sixth goal at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth stanza, CNU got off to a solid start. Taking possession behind the cage, Cook spun through a pair of defenders along the left post before elevating on the doorstep for his third goal.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side, freshman Declan McCulloch took over between the pipes and put on a show in the cage. Early in the period, he made a kick save on a bullet during a fast transition. Later, he went to his knees to stone a pair of rips along opposite pipes before Young blasted the stick out of the hands of an attacker to force a turnover.

Capitalizing on the other end, Brendes deposited a pair of diving daggers, including a phenomenal play that saw him lay out between three Jumbos along the crease. Brett Jackson also stung the back of the net during a man-up situation after Henry Crean found him alone in the right alley.

Sadly, the late push was not enough to overcome the deficit as Tufts withstood the rally and picked up the 18-10 triumph.

Overall, the Jumbos held a 48-30 lead in shots and a 53-40 advantage in ground balls. The hosts also took 17 of the game's 31 faceoffs. On an individual level, Warner Cabaniss won half of his 24 battles and grabbed six rollers. In the cage, Hanway finished with five saves, while McCulloch collected seven in just 19 minutes of action. Both goalies also chipped in with three ground balls apiece.

Christopher Newport will return to action on March 15 for the start of the Mustang Classic in Owings Mills, Maryland. The Captains will open the tournament against No. 5 Dickinson before facing No. 14 St. Lawrence on March 16.

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