LEXINGTON, Va. -- Following a back-and-forth battle in the first quarter, the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team took control of the contest over the final three frames as the Captains pulled away for an 18-13 victory over No. 10 Washington and Lee during a top-10 clash on Monday evening at Wilson Field.

Trailing by one after the first 15 minutes, CNU quickly flipped the script and carried a two-goal lead into halftime and a six-goal edge into the fourth quarter. Although the Generals scored a pair of late tallies to cut into their deficit, the Captains sustained at least a two-goal cushion over the final 31 minutes of regulation to seal the victory.

During the contest, Kevin Miller erupted for seven points, including four assists. Jamie Smith and Brett Jackson also had four points apiece, while Fred Fulkerson collected his first collegiate hat-trick. Will Cramp, Jackson Platner, and Logan Shassian all chipped in with a pair of points as well.

Overall, Christopher Newport's 18 goals marked the program's highest output against a top-10 foe in program history. Previously, the Captains had 17-goal eruptions in similar victories over Dickinson, Gettysburg, and Salisbury. 

On the defensive side, Mason Bellinger came through with 10 saves, including a series of momentum-turning stops to thwart W&L's comeback bid. Meanwhile, Colin DeGrassi and AJ Rosacker had two takeaways apiece as the Captains baited the hosts into 20 total turnovers.

Meanwhile, Warner Cabaniss did yeoman's work at the dot throughout the contest. In a faceoff battle featuring a pair of reigning All-Americans, Cabaniss won 15 of his 28 attempts while collecting eight ground balls.

With the victory, CNU improved to 12-1 on the season, while the setback dropped Washington and Lee to 8-3.

After the hosts opened the scoring less than a minute into the first quarter, CNU fired back. First, Fulkerson found himself isolated in the left corner. Taking advantage of the one-on-one situation, he simply outran his defender, circled behind the crease, cut around the right post, and whipped a screamer inside the pipe for the equalizer.

Moments later, after Rosacker leveled an attacker during a violent altercation and Bellinger stoned a quick-hitter during a 2-on-1 situation, Cramp handed the Captains an early lead with a laser from the left wing.

Although the Generals responded with their own two-goal surge, CNU regrouped on the defensive end. Ryan Almassian blocked a shot in the left alley, Rosacker tied up a potential shooter along the crease, and Daniel Siaton picked off an errant flip behind the cage that clanked off the stick of an attacker.

Meanwhile, on the offensive end, the Captains kept firing. Planter skipped a man-up missile into the bottom right corner of the cage before Jed Pellicano came through with a highlight-reel assist.

During a tough clear in the 14th minute, the freshman defenseman found himself pinned against the right sideline while getting peppered with checks from a W&L midfielder. Keeping his wits while toeing the boundary, he unloaded a 70-yard seed to Smith, who snagged the pass, circled the crease, and scored on the doorstep to knot the game at four.

Although the hosts responded to regain a lead just before the end of the period, CNU retaliated in the second stanza. 

First, on the defensive side, DeGrassi deflected a shot with a trail-check during a fast-break off the opening faceoff. Later, on the same possession, he blocked another rip in the left alley before Bellinger killed off the threat with a save.

Moments later, Bellinger lofted a rainbow towards midfield on a clear attempt. Although the ball hit the turf, Mark Davison punched it past a W&L defender and ran through two other midfielders before picking his own pass off the field. Still rumbling towards the cage, the defenseman shoveled a feed to Smith, who sank a tracer from his knees to tie the score at five.

Continuing the seesaw affair, the Generals regained a one-goal edge before Christopher Newport landed three straight blows. During the surge, Jackson unleashed a long-range rocket, Fulkerson dunked on the doorstep, and Miller split the wickets of the keeper with a worm-burner along the right pipe to grab an 8-6 edge.

Although Washington and Lee snapped the streak with their first goal in over six minutes, the Captains had an answer. On the defensive side, Jayden Hardnett made a slick snag to steal a bouncer at the top of the zone during W&L's next possession before Miller bent a midfielder in half during a takeaway on a failed clear near the center stripe.

Taking advantage, Miller took the ball back in the left corner and found Shassian for a fake-and-finish to regain a two-goal cushion entering halftime.

Following the break, Christopher Newport continued to shine on the back end. DeGrassi clubbed a ball loose along the baseline before Pellicano shoved a shooter off his mark along the right post to help force a shot-clock violation. Moments later, the offense went back to work.

On a fast-break, Fulkerson split two defenders before launching a shot through the keeper to complete his hat-trick. Shortly thereafter, Miller connected on a bounce shot before Platner showed off his athleticism with a leaping interception on a clear attempt. On the ensuing possession, Ethan Slusher capitalized with a hitch-and-hammer off a flip from Miller, which gave the visitors a 12-7 lead heading into a W&L timeout.

Although the stoppage paid off for the hosts with back-to-back goals, CNU quickly regrouped. On the defensive side, Bellinger made a fantastic save on a bouncer before the man-down unit stepped up. Following a penalty, Caden Cunningham perfectly identified the hidden-ball trick and bottled up the play before Pellicano blocked a shot from the left alley and won a race to the baseline to flip possession.

After the defensive stand, Christopher Newport pounded away on the opposite side of the field. Miller torched a defender in the right corner before ripping a shot around the right post. Then, Smith put together a remarkable individual effort. On a clear attempt, he stuck with a midfielder and stole a pass right out of the General's stick near the right sideline. With no one left on the back side, he charged right towards the cage and scored his 10th man-up goal of the season.

Then, with only seconds remaining in the third stanza, Jackson wrapped a one-timer around the ankles of the keeper to secure a 15-9 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Although Washington and Lee opened the final frame with two straight goals, the Captains pushed back. During an unsettled situation on the defensive end, Bellinger made a momentum-turning save after a shooter slipped free in the left alley. Later, he gobbled up a low liner on the next rally before DeGrassi killed off another man-down situation after stonewalling an attacker along the crease.

Still dominating later in the period, Pellicano planted a shooter into the turf during a turnaround attempt, while Rory Keverline stuck with an attacker through a series of dodges before causing a shot to sail over the crossbar. Then, DeGrassi came back with a spectacular ride as the senior tied up a General and carried him for 20 yards before forcing an errant pass, which Cramp quickly corralled.

Along with the defensive heroics, the offense added three late blows to pull away for the triumph. Cramp launched a lefty laser, Jackson skipped one home from his perch in the right alley, and Smith landed the final punch with less than a minute left in regulation to ice the victory.

Although Washington and Lee held a 44-34 advantage in shots, only 23 of the Generals' attempts were on-target as CNU's defense kept the hosts off-balance throughout the contest. Meanwhile, both squads secured 32 ground balls, including four by Zack Sands and three by Siaton.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the team travels to No. 2 Salisbury for a Coastal Lacrosse Conference battle at 1 p.m.

---ISH---