NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Alex Brendes landed his 200th career goal while headlining an electric attack that carried the eighth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team past Stockton, 20-8, during a Coastal Lacrosse Conference battle on a cloudy Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

Against the Ospreys, Brendes collected four points after notching two goals and a pair of assists. His final strike marked the 200th tally of his career, joining former All-American Dylan Rice as the only Captains to reach that milestone.

Equally effective on the offensive end, Robby Adams matched his career-high with four goals, while Kevin Miller registered a hat-trick. Rounding out the high-volume scorers, Andrew Cook chipped in with five points, Drew Miller added four, while Brett Jackson and Carson Hoffman had three apiece.

Dominating in all areas, Warner Cabaniss won 14 of his 17 faceoffs and grabbed 10 ground balls, while the Captains forced 16 turnovers, including two strips apiece by Cook, Brandon Young, and AJ Rosacker. Aidan Wheeler also came through with his 50th career takeaway, joining former All-American Campbell Pozin as the only short-sticks to reach that mark.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 11-4 on the season, including 4-1 in league action. The win also locked up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Captains will receive a first-round bye before hosting a semifinal bout on May 1.

The setback dropped Stockton to 10-6 with a 3-2 record in conference play. The Ospreys will enter the playoffs as the league's No. 3 seed.

Although the visitors opened the scoring in the fifth minute, CNU had an emphatic response. Kicking things off, Adams knotted the score with a worm-burner before Kevin Miller helped set up the go-ahead strike less than four minutes later.

On a failed clear by the Ospreys, Miller applied tremendous pressure while badgering a defender near midfield. Eventually, he popped the ball loose and secured the roller after Adams punched it away from a second Eagle. Taking advantage of the unsettled situation, Miller quickly found his older brother, who flipped a feed to Adams on the way to his second straight strike.

After helping generate the team's second goal, Kevin Miller beat the shot clock for his first tally of the contest, while John Santoro stretched the lead to 4-1 after sinking a jump shot while absorbing a hit in the center of the zone.

Meanwhile, the defense kept a tight lid on Stockton's attack. Wheeler came through with his 50th career takeaway after intercepting a pass in the left alley. Later, Ryan Young clubbed a ball loose after an Osprey attempted to surge through the middle of the defense, while Brandon Young picked off a feed on the right side.

Still fostering a three-goal edge entering the second stanza, the Captains quickly grabbed a commanding advantage. Breaking out some trickery in the opening moments during a man-up situation, Cook teamed up with Kevin Miller on the hidden-ball trick before rifling a pass inside to Brendes, who capitalized on the interior.

Continuing the assault, Brendes assisted on a strike by Drew Miller before Jackson carved up the opposition. In the 20th minute, the junior slipped underneath a defender and uncorked a sidewinder along the crease. Shortly thereafter, he drew the attention of two Ospreys before flipping a feed to Adams, who completed his first-half hat-trick.

Although Stockton responded with its own three-goal spurt, Christopher Newport retaliated at the end of the first half. Cook elevated in traffic before burning a blast off a feed from Brendes. Later, after a quick faceoff win by Cabaniss, his wings joined forces on the offensive end as Luke Nardone found Ryan Almassian, who unleashed some long-pole lightning in the 28th minute.

With time winding down in the first half, Kevin Miller polished off the period with a sliding snipe after shrugging off a slash from a Stockton defender.

Holding an 11-6 lead at the break, the Captains put the game out-of-reach with a perfect third stanza. Cook opened the second half with a backhand dunk before assisting on an absolute bomb by Jackson from the right wing. Less than a minute later, Brendes orchestrated a slippery strike as he sidestepped a defender before avoiding a trail-check on the way to his 200th career goal.

Continuing to win one-on-one battles, Adams shook off a defender with a quick dodge before scoring along the right pipe. Later, Kevin Miller added a man-up missile, while Fred Fulkerson joined the party after steaming down the center of the field on the way to a 17-6 lead.

Just as effective on the other end of the field, Declan McCulloch came through with four saves in the period, while Rosacker had a pair of takeaways, including a textbook check that saw him rip possession away from an attacker after dropping the hammer at the top of the zone. Easton Lanclos also had a solid strip after getting into the body of an Osprey before Colin DeGrassi snatched the roller.

In the final stanza, CNU cruised to the victory. Early on, Mason Beckmeyer absolutely leveled an attacker who attempted to slip free along the crease. Later, Zac Hanway pocketed four straight saves, while Tyler Yang picked off a failed clear.

On the other side, Beckmeyer helped create a lane on a quick clear in the 54th minute, which allowed Logan Shassian to roll through on the way to CNU's 18th goal. Later, Hoffman and Matt McCabe teamed up on the final two daggers. First, Hoffman bounced a blast inside the left post, while McCabe added a submarine shot to avoid a charging defender in the right alley.

In the waning moments, Christopher Newport added a fitting punctuation mark on Senior Day. Pushing back against Mary Washington's final surge, veterans Maxwell Gladieux and Jake Sita teamed up for one last stop. Gladieux avoided a pick behind the crease to pressure an attacker before Sita blasted the ball free from behind to wrap up the contest.

Overall, CNU held a 52-38 advantage in shots and a 40-24 lead in ground balls. The Captains also secured 20 of the game's 31 faceoffs, including four wins by Michael Brost.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Sunday when the squad hosts Colorado College at 12:30 p.m.

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