SALEM, Va. -- Headlining a remarkable team effort, Warner Cabaniss collected his 900th career faceoff victory, Mason Bellinger pocketed 19 saves, and Jamie Smith landed six goals as the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse squad knocked off Roanoke, 16-7, during a non-conference test on Saturday afternoon at Donald J. Kerr Stadium.

Adding his name alongside the greatest faceoff specialists in NCAA history, Cabaniss went 10-for-16 at the dot while bumping his career total to 908 career faceoff wins. With that performance, he became just the 16th player in Division III history to eclipse 900 career triumphs.

Along with Cabaniss' efforts, Bellinger established a new career-high with 19 saves, which equaled the third-highest total in program history. Meanwhile, Smith contributed six goals, which matched the eighth-most by a Captain in school lore.

In addition to the history-makers, Kevin Miller added four points, including his third hat-trick of the season. Brett Jackson also landed three blows for the victors, while Will Cramp handed out a pair of assists.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 7-0 on the season and knocked off its fifth consecutive opponent that advanced to last year's NCAA Tournament. On the other side, the setback dropped Roanoke to 5-2.

Bolting out to an early lead, Smith and Ethan Slusher sank a pair of sidewinders in the first three minutes. On the ensuing faceoff after Slusher's strike, AJ Rosacker badgered the opposing FOGO and forced a loose ball, which Mark Davison corralled. Jump-starting a fast-break, Davison connected with John Santoro, who tossed a dime down to Smith on the way to a fake-and-finish along the crease.

Although the two squads traded the next five goals in the first period, Christopher Newport continued to foster a lead. Miller found Santoro cutting along the crease for a strike in the seventh minute, while Jackson converted a diving dagger on the right wing after splitting a pair of Maroons to help secure a 5-3 edge at the end of the opening stanza.

In the second quarter, the Captains gained a little breathing room. During the early moments, Smith completed his first-half hat-trick after spinning around a defender before rifling a submarine shot under the stick of a second Maroon. Then, on the subsequent faceoff, Cramp snagged the loose ball, stormed into the offensive end, and laced a pinpoint pass to Logan Shassian, who converted along the left post.

Meanwhile, on the back side, Bellinger swallowed four shots in the period and picked off a pass after slipping out of the crease. Colin DeGrassi also added a takeaway, while Rosacker forced a turnover on a failed clear after leveling a midfielder near the center stripe.

Taking advantage of Rosacker's play, Miller picked up the loose ball and took care of the rest by himself after slipping past a defender before landing a blow along the right post to secure an 8-3 edge entering the break.

In the second half, Roanoke cut its deficit down to three after a pair of quick tallies, but CNU had an answer later in the period. Smith fired back with his fourth blast of the contest, while Miller connected on another man-up missile to regain a five-goal cushion entering the final frame.

Marching towards the end of regulation, Christopher Newport put the game out-of-reach in the early part of the fourth quarter. First, Jackson raced down the right alley and fired a seed across his body that landed inside the left post. Moments later, during another man-up situation, the senior dropped a skip-pass down to Smith, who juked the goalie before snapping off a low liner.

With little left to prove, the Captains pulled away with four more goals towards the end of regulation. Miller kicked off the late push after sidestepping a defender with a quick hitch in the right wing. Later, Jackson and Smith capped off their afternoons before Grant Giunchi dotted the top left corner of the cage after winning a clean faceoff with four minutes left in the period.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Rosacker tied a shooter in knots in the right wing, while Bellinger made a terrific save with a leaping stop on an elevated rocket before collecting the rebound in traffic. Later, he added a save from his knees on Roanoke's next run to help punctuate his historic afternoon.

Overall, CNU held a 47-43 advantage in shots and a 43-36 edge in ground balls. Cabaniss picked up seven rollers to go along with his 10 faceoff victories, while Bellinger secured six ground balls of his own.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Friday when the Captains kick off the Callum Robinson Mustang Classic with a 6:15 p.m. showdown against No. 10 Gettysburg in Owings Mills, Maryland.

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