NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Following a defensive masterclass in the early part of overtime, Brett Jackson landed the final blow on the offensive end as the senior sank the game-winning dagger in the 66th minute to lift the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team to a wild 14-13 victory over Grove City during an edge-of-your-seat thriller on a warm Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

After the Captains suffocated the high-powered Grove City attack during the first five minutes of overtime, including a huge man-down defensive stand, Jackson ended the marathon with a lefty laser to cap off the festivities. He eventually finished the contest with three points, while Logan Shassian added a hat-trick, including a highlight-reel strike at the end of regulation to force the extra sessions.

Meanwhile, the defense stepped up when it mattered most. Mason Bellinger posted a pair of saves during the first overtime period while finishing with seven total stops. Zack Sands also helped force a turnover at the start of the second overtime to flip possession and hand the ball back to the attack.

Overall, Brett Kelley led Christopher Newport with three caused turnovers, while Mark Davison and AJ Rosacker had two apiece. Warner Cabaniss also won 16 of his 27 faceoffs and secured nine ground balls to help control possession at the dot.

With the victory, CNU improved to 4-0 on the season, while the setback dropped Grove City to 1-4.

After the Wolverines secured a 13-12 lead with less than four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the hosts rallied. Cabaniss won the ensuing faceoff before the offense settled in. Planted behind the crease, Shassian showed patience while waiting for a cutter to slip free. As the shot-clock ticked down, a defender decided to apply pressure, but he over-pursued on a roll to his right.

With a step, Shassian cut around the Wolverine, spun around the left post, and laced a missile on the move just under the crossbar to knot the score at 13.

Back on even ground, both teams had an opportunity to grab a late lead, but the defenses held firm. During an unsettled situation by the visitors, Bellinger made a fantastic save on a clean rip from the left wing before lunging to secure the deflection and jump-start a successful clear. Eventually, Jackson Platner split two defenders with a long-range rocket, but Grove City's goalie made the stop. Then, in the final seconds, Davison stayed on the hip of an attacker and helped force an off-target shot, which just caught the right post.

In overtime, Christopher Newport had three early attempts, including a fast-break after Kelley pressured the keeper and deflected a pass, which Shassian collected. On a breakaway, the junior had the defense on its heels, but a Wolverine jumped into the shooting lane, sacrificed his body, and blocked a tracer to keep the Captains off the board.

Later, after the hosts were hit with a penalty, Bellinger made a game-saving stop on a quick shot from the interior. Shortly thereafter, Rosacker had a fast close-out in the left wing, which caused the visitors to rush a shot that caught the crossbar. Then, Colin DeGrassi rode an attacker around the left post before the defense collapsed down and swallowed the shooter on the doorstep.

Although the Captains could not clear the zone, Daniel Siaton leveled a Wolverine along the right alley, while Bellinger snagged a bullet near the post to force a second overtime.

With four minutes back on the clock, Grove City won the opening faceoff, but CNU stepped up on the back end once again. This time, an attacker tried to roll underneath the defense, but Sands slipped off his man, crashed down, and blasted the Wolverine with a bruising hit along the crease to force a turnover.

Back in control, Siaton quickly cleared the defensive end before Jackson subbed in as a midfielder. Isolated one-on-one near the center stripe, he drove to his left, pushed towards the restraining line, and went across his body with a missile that landed just inside the right post and sent the CNU faithful into a full-out frenzy.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 54-37 advantage in shots and a 43-31 edge in ground balls. The Captains also won 18 of the game's 32 faceoffs and successfully killed off both of their man-down situations.

Long before the overtime heroics, CNU fell behind early in the opening quarter after Grove City posted the first three goals of the game. Still trailing 3-0 entering the final minute of the first period, the Captains found their rhythm.

Following a timeout, Platner got the hosts on the board with a bull-dodge from the top center. Barreling through a defender, he drew two more Wolverines but still managed to fire a seed into the back of the net for the squad's first goal.

Moments later, after Cabaniss won the ensuing faceoff, Christopher Newport chipped its deficit down to one. After collecting a feed from John Santoro, Jude MacLean pushed in, switched hands, and rifled a screamer from deep for his first goal of the contest.

In the second stanza, the two teams traded blows as Shassian tied the game at three before Grove City broke the deadlock just over a minute later. On the Wolverines' next possession, Ryan Almassian deflected a pass towards the top of the zone. As the ball trickled towards midfield, Kevin Miller screened two GC defenders from saving the roller before Almassian hustled back and collected the trash.

With the visitors struggling to catch up to the play, Almassian tossed possession to Kelley, who burst down the field and completed the breakaway with a pole goal that evened the game at four.

Looking to grab their first lead, the hosts came back with another fast-break as Siaton jumped on a loose ball and cruised down the turf. Although Grove City's defense eventually cut off his run, the junior tossed the ball out to Shassian, who converted from the left wing to give CNU a 5-4 edge.

Marching towards halftime, Christopher Newport added another goal in the 28th minute after MacLean lowered his shoulder, dropped a defender to the turf, and hammered from the top center for his second strike of the first half.

Although the Wolverines broke through again just before the break, Christopher Newport came out on fire in the third quarter. During a man-up situation, Fred Fulkerson deposited a dart just under the crossbar before the defense came back for more. This time, Kelley hammered a ball loose along the crease after swallowing an attacker on the interior.

After Rosacker collected the ground ball, he rushed up the right sideline on a fast clear before finding Davison, who unloaded the team's second pole goal of the contest. Less than four minutes later, after the two teams traded strikes in the middle of the period, CNU added one more long-stick stinger.

In the 38th minute, Rosacker collected the ground ball off a faceoff and generated a one-man fastbreak from the wing before landing his second goal of the season.

Equally effective on the defensive end, Bellinger came through with a slick interception during a lengthy rally by the visitors before DeGrassi tied up a shooter during an unsettled situation to force another turnover. Later, Kelley came through with a strip behind the crease to punctuate a separate surge by the visitors.

Unfortunately, Grove City eventually found its groove. Over the final six minutes of the third quarter, the hosts strung together four straight goals to knot the game at 10 entering the fourth frame.

Looking to regain some momentum, Ethan Slusher put on a show. First, he caught a feed from Jackson and took a brutal check to the back in the center of the zone. Despite the physical confrontation, he still managed to sink a go-ahead blast while falling to the ground for an 11-10 edge.

Although the Wolverines responded, Slusher came back for more. In the middle of the period, he drew a slide towards the left wing, which gave Fulkerson a little space in the center. After collecting the pass, Fulkerson sidestepped one last defender before dotting the top left corner of the cage.

After that point, fireworks ensued. Grove City retaliated with back-to-back goals to steal a 13-12 lead with less than four minutes remaining. However, Shassian answered with the equalizer in the waning moments of regulation before Jackson added the final punctuation mark to close out the thriller.

Overall, the double-overtime marathon was Christopher Newport's longest game since a triple-overtime victory against Washington (Md.) on March 13, 2019.

Following the grueling game, CNU will have a quick turnaround as the Captains host Scranton on Sunday at 4 p.m.

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