NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Jumping out to a four-goal lead in the first 10 minutes of action, the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team never looked back on the way to a 17-7 victory over Scranton during a non-conference showdown on a chilly Sunday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

Just 24 hours after winning a double-overtime marathon against Grove City, the Captains found their groove early and put the game on ice. Flashing a well-balanced attack, 14 different players registered a point for the victors. Among those, Mark Davison landed the squad's fourth pole goal of the weekend, while goalie Mason Bellinger collected an assist on that play after jump-starting the fast-break with a looping feed from the crease.

Along with the defensive stars, Brett Jackson sank four goals after driving home the game-winner on Saturday. Meanwhile, Jamie Smith posted his third hat-trick of the year, and Kevin Miller chipped in with four points, including three assists. Logan Shassian, Jude MacLean, and Brady Mitchell all had multi-point efforts as well.

On the back end, Davison led the squad with a pair of takeaways, while Bellinger notched 10 saves in three quarters of work. Declan McCulloch and Trey Landolfi also teamed up for five stops during the fourth stanza.

CNU dominated possession during the contest as well, winning 18 of the game's 27 faceoffs. Grant Giunchi finished 11-for-13 and added four ground balls. Warner Cabaniss was also 4-for-5, while Connor Bade and Tom Best combined for three wins.

With the triumph, Christopher Newport improved to 5-0 on the season, while the setback dropped Scranton to 0-4.

From the very beginning, the offense took control of the contest. Less than two minutes into regulation, Smith dipped under a defender on the left wing, slipped around the crease, and dunked along the right post. Seconds later, MacLean skipped a bouncer inside the left pipe for a 2-0 lead.

Following Scranton's first strike, the defense flipped the field with a fast-break bullet. First, on the back end, Colin DeGrassi used a stick-lift to disrupt a shooter, which led to a low-percentage attempt. After Bellinger made the save, he found Davison rumbling down the right sideline. Uncontested, the sophomore defenseman grabbed the pass, pulled up, and launched a high-to-high hammer for his second goal in as many days.

Continuing to shine in transition, Daniel Siaton completed a clear just over a minute later before landing a missile after faking a flip to his right, which opened up a shooting lane down the center of the zone.

Marching towards the end of the first period, Jackson joined the party after capitalizing on a highlight-reel hitch on the right wing, which left his defender sprawled out on the turf. Then, Gabe Montognese polished off the period with a downhill dagger in the left alley.

Holding a 6-3 lead entering the second-quarter, Christopher Newport continued to stretch its advantage. Early on, Jackson Platner set a screen that walled off a pair of defenders and allowed Jackson to whistle a one-timer from deep. Later, playing 6-on-7 after a Royal was caught offside during a flag-down situation, Shassian threaded a feed through two defenders before Miller broke out a fake-and-finish on the doorstep.

Looking to complete a 10-goal first-half, the hosts slapped two more tallies on the board in the final two minutes of the period. Kicking off the late surge, Mitchell won a scramble for a rebound off an initial save before flipping the ball back to Jackson, who completed his first-half hat-trick. Then, Shassian slipped free along the left pipe and deposited a feed from Miller to grab a 10-4 lead entering the break.

The second half started with Giunchi serving as the personification of strength, stamina, and persistence. On the opening faceoff, he held a clamp for 20 seconds while working to free the ball during a grueling battle at the center dot. Eventually, he ripped it loose before Ryan Almassian collected the spinner and jump-started the opening possession.

Taking advantage on the offensive end, Smith dodged a defender before dotting the bottom left corner of the cage with his second strike.

Sandwiched between a pair of Scranton goals in the middle of the period, Matt McCabe rolled back to his left hand and fired a seed that spun through three defenders and the goalie for his first goal of the year. Later, Mitchell collected some garbage along the crease and dunked over the keeper for a second-chance strike, while Smith drew a double-team, elevated, and fired an off-balance skip pass across the field to Jackson, who capped off his day with a bullet along the right pipe.

With little left to prove, the hosts closed out the contest with three more goals in the final period. Shassian capitalized on a feed from MacLean, Smith wrapped a screamer around the keeper, and Bennett Spruell crept around the right post and converted on a backside bullet after running a give-and-go with Joey Fantinato.

Both teams unloaded 44 shots during the contest, while CNU held a 35-25 advantage in ground balls. Davison collected three rollers to go along with his goal and two takeaways, while DeGrassi, Cabaniss, and AJ Rosacker also had three apiece for the victors.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the team completes its three-game homestand against John Carroll at 1 p.m.

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