NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In a top-10 showdown for the ages, the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team pieced together a defensive clinic while stifling No. 8 Gettysburg during a 13-4 victory on Friday evening at the Callum Robinson Mustang Classic held at Stevenson's Mustang Stadium.

Facing an attack that entered Friday ranked among the national leaders in both scoring offense and shooting percentage, Christopher Newport suffocated the opposition during a 60-minute masterpiece. Between the pipes, Mason Bellinger pocketed 13 saves, while the rest of the defense baited Gettysburg into 19 turnovers. Zack Sands led the Captains with three takeaways, while Colin DeGrassi and AJ Rosacker chipped in with two apiece.

Overall, the four goals surrendered by CNU marked the third-fewest by a nationally-ranked opponent in program history. It also was Gettysburg's lowest output since a 6-4 setback to Widener on March 27, 2013. The Bullets had scored at least five goals in 198 consecutive games entering Friday's bout. 

On the other end of the field, Jamie Smith sank four strikes for the victors. Brett Jackson also contributed a hat-trick, and Jackson Platner notched three points, including a pair of goals. Additionally, the Captains won 17 of the game's 21 faceoffs, including a 10-for-13 performance by Warner Cabaniss.

With the victory, CNU improved to 8-0 on the season, while the setback dropped GC to 3-2.

After Gettysburg opened the scoring, Christopher Newport quickly fought back. Setting the tone on the defensive end, Daniel Siaton de-sticked a Bullet near midfield then helped complete a clear. On the ensuing possession, Fred Fulkerson flipped the ball to Jackson, who sidestepped a defender, curled towards the left wing, and uncorked a missile on the move to knot the score at one.

Moments later, during an unsettled situation, Mark Davison stood up a midfielder who attempted to spin loose. In a split second, Jackson Shaw came bolting in and leveled the Bullet during a physical confrontation before DeGrassi secured the ground ball.

Once again, CNU capitalized on the other end of the field as Brett Kelley went straight towards the cage on a 40-yard sprint. Absorbing a hit, he kept possession and landed a long-pole laser to give the Captains their first lead of the game.

Still rolling, Christopher Newport secured a little breathing room in the eighth minute. Although a defender tried to tie up Smith near the left post, the junior spun underneath, rolled through a second Bullet, and deposited a bouncer on the doorstep for a 3-1 edge.

Following a Gettysburg timeout, CNU put its defense on display. First, Bellinger slipped out of the crease and picked off a pass in the left alley. Then, Jayden Hardnett rode an attacker around the left post and forced an off-target shot, while DeGrassi came across the zone and pressured a second shooter into an errant rip that spun past the right pipe.

Later in the period, Bellinger pocketed a point-blank blast, Rosacker deflected a feed in the right wing, and Kelley gobbled up a roller that bounced off a Bullet in the right corner.

With time winding down in the opening period, Gettysburg attempted to clear the defensive end, but Jackson and Will Cramp sealed off the run with a solid double-team. Eventually, Jackson dropped his shoulder and forced the ball out before Smith grabbed the roller, juked a defender, and elevated over the keeper just before the horn sounded to snatch a 4-1 lead.

In the second stanza, Christopher Newport pitched a shutout while extending its advantage to 7-1. On the offensive end, Platner got things rolling after spinning to his right to shake a one-on-one match-up before avoiding three more defenders on the way to his first tally. Moments later, during a man-up situation, Logan Shassian broke out the hidden-ball trick. On the play, he faked a flip to Kevin Miller before lining a seed to Smith, who capitalized with a turnaround tracer in the center of the zone.

Polishing off the first-half scoring, Shaw burst around the right pipe and launched a high-to-high hammer over a defender and the keeper in the 25th minute.

On the other end of the field, the Captains pushed back against every Gettysburg rally. Bellinger turned away a pair of early shots, including a low liner from his knees. Then, after CNU was hit with a pair of concurrent penalties, DeGrassi came through with the defensive play of the game. Playing 4-on-6, the senior knocked down a skip pass towards the crease and snatched the loose ball to kill off the shorthanded situation.

Moments later, after Gettysburg returned to the offensive end, DeGrassi came through with another strip after tying up an attacker along the left post before punching the ball loose again.

Along with DeGrassi, the entire defense starred during the latter portion of the first half. Davison had a quick closeout in the right alley to prevent an on-target shot during another man-down situation. Later, Kelley caught a deflection behind the crease, while Bellinger made a one-on-one save after an attacker slipped free in the left wing.

With time winding down, Sands added the final exclamation point at the end of the first half. Following a Gettysburg timeout to set up one last offensive push, the fifth-year phenom quickly stamped out the threat. After a Bullet tried to spin underneath the defense, Sands sent the attacker on a five-yard flight over the crease with a bruising hit near the left post.

Staring at a six-goal deficit coming out of halftime, Gettysburg opened the scoring in the third quarter before CNU fired back. During a lengthy offensive stand, Shaw saved a loose ball from slipping across midfield before creating a second-chance opportunity. Capitalizing on the play, Miller found Jackson, who dotted the top left corner of the cage.

Less than two minutes later, Brady Mitchell added his own highlight-reel finish. During another unsettled situation, Miller flipped a feed to the third-year star, who unloaded a behind-the-back blast in traffic to lock up a 9-2 lead.

Although the Bullets fired back with two goals at the tail end of the period, Christopher Newport never relented. On the offensive end, John Santoro unleashed a long-range stinger from the left side for the squad's 10th goal. Later, Bellinger corralled a hot-shot bouncer to keep a 10-4 edge entering the final frame.

With a fresh 15 minutes on the clock, Platner kicked off the fourth quarter with a dagger under the crossbar for his second strike. After that point, the Captains closed out the game in style.

Contesting every inch of the field, Miller disrupted a looping feed on a failed clear while barreling into the Gettysburg bench. Moments later, Rory Keverline jumped a passing lane to knock down a feed at the top of the zone, while Kelley absolutely planted a shooter into the turf with a hit on the interior. Then, Shassian saved a ball from slipping across the left sideline before flipping it over two GC defenders to keep possession near midfield.

Meanwhile, Bellinger came through with five saves in the fourth quarter, including back-to-back stops during a relentless assault in the middle of the period. He also corralled a worm-burner from long range to polish off his evening.

With little left to prove, Christopher Newport drove home two late tallies to put the game out of reach. Orchestrating an incredible individual effort with two minutes remaining, Smith split a double-team along the sideline, spun around a third defender, and absorbed an illegal slash while connecting on a bounce shot for his fourth goal.

Less than a minute later, Platner dropped a dime over the defense before Jackson converted on a fake-and-finish to seal the victory.

Overall, CNU held a 41-36 advantage in shots and a 38-24 lead in ground balls. Cabaniss had seven rollers for the Captains, while Grant Giunchi collected four to go along with a 6-for-7 showing at the dot.

Christopher Newport will return to action tomorrow when the team wraps up the Callum Robinson Mustang Classic with a 4 p.m. test against No. 16 Lynchburg.

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