OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- After battling to four ties during the first 35 minutes of action, the third-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team capitalized on a second-half surge to steal the momentum and run away with a 16-9 victory over No. 9 Gettysburg during a top-10 test on Saturday afternoon at Stevenson's Mustang Stadium.

Staring at a 7-7 tie early in the third stanza, CNU broke the game open with a four-goal spurt, including three strikes by Jamie Smith. Then, after Gettysburg attempted to steal back some momentum in the fourth frame, the Captains regrouped with another four-goal blitz, including a back-breaking blast by Grant Giunchi, which helped put the game on ice.

Smith eventually finished the contest with six goals, which equaled the 10th-highest total in program history. Meanwhile, Ryan Miller added five points, including three assists, while Kevin Miller handed out four helpers of his own. Overall, 10 different players registered at least one point during a well-balanced offensive showcase.

On the other end of the field, Mason Bellinger hauled in 13 saves, while the rest of the defense forced Gettysburg into 34 off-target attempts. The Captains also blocked nine shots, including three during a single possession late in the fourth quarter.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 3-0 on the season, while the setback dropped Gettysburg to 0-1.

Trading blows in the first quarter, the Captains opened the contest with back-to-back strikes before the Bullets responded. Kicking off the action, Jackson Shaw found himself isolated one-on-one with a defender nearly 20 yards from the cage. Winning the match-up, he burned his man in the right alley, curled around the crease, and landed a diving dagger on the doorstep to grab a 1-0 lead.

Just over a minute later, CNU struck again. This time, Ryan Miller spun around a defender on the right side before firing a skip pass to Jude MacLean. After snatching the feed, the senior cracked a high heater under the crossbar for a 2-0 advantage.

Although Gettysburg fired back and stole a 3-2 lead early in the second stanza, Christopher Newport regrouped. On the defensive side, the Captains killed off a man-down situation as Daniel Siaton applied pressure along the left pipe, which forced a low-percentage shot that Bellinger swallowed in the cage. Taking advantage of the ensuing possession, Kevin Miller connected with his brother, who snapped a sidewinder around the hip of the keeper to knot the score at three.

Back on even ground, the defense kept Gettysburg in check. Mark Davison absolutely leveled an attacker with a bruising blow along the right post before Will Cramp picked off an errant flip in the center of the zone. On the next possession, Brett Kelley sacrificed his body while blocking a point-blank rip before Bellinger stoned a laser from the left side.

After a successful clear, Ryan Traynor fed the ball to Smith, who laced a rope from the left side to regain the advantage. Less than a minute later, Jed Pellicano stretched the lead to 5-3 after unleashing a little long-pole lightning with a bolt inside the left post.

Battling back, Gettysburg knotted the score at five before CNU closed out the half in style. With less than two minutes left in the period, MacLean bullied a defender through the zone before connecting on his second goal. After Davison helped put a lid on Gettysburg's ensuing possession with tight defense along the crease, Ryan Miller found Smith, who capped off the period with a strike from the left wing.

Staring at a 7-5 deficit entering halftime, Gettysburg came out of the break on a roll. Landing a pair of counter-punches, the Bullets pulled even at seven in the 35th minute.

Tired of the back-and-forth affair, Christopher Newport stole the momentum as Smith made his presence felt. In less than 60 seconds, the senior All-American sank his third goal during an unsettled situation after a fast-break clear by Miller before dropping in his fourth while dodging a defender in the center of the zone.

After Traynor came through with the squad's third straight tally off a low-to-high hammer, Smith polished off the surge with one more highlight. This time, Ryan Miller saved a loose ball in the right wing before threading a pass through four defenders. On the receiving end, Smith caught the flip and fired in one smooth motion to lock up an 11-7 lead.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, CNU kept Gettysburg off-balance. Rory Keverline deflected a shot with a lunging stab, while Garrett Bralley had a quick closeout to force an off-target attempt. Bellinger also pocketed two straight saves during a late push to keep the four-goal lead entering the final frame.

Hoping to regain some momentum, Gettysburg pulled within three less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Searching for a quick response, Giunchi had an answer. On the ensuing faceoff, he won the clamp and spun free. Sprinting towards the cage, he capitalized on a clean lane before landing a dart in the top left corner of the cage to snatch a 12-8 lead.

From there, Christopher Newport continued to add on. The Millers teamed up on a man-up strike in the 53rd minute before John Santoro added to his highlight reel. On a one-man march, he absorbed an illegal slash, split two long poles, circled past the right post, and sank a shovel shot around the knees of the keeper while laying out along the crease.

Less than a minute later, CNU capitalized on another power play as Blake Levicki grabbed a skip pass from Shaw and uncorked a missile from the left alley before the defense could regroup.

Leading 15-8, Christopher Newport put the game on ice with solid work on both ends of the field. First, on the back side, Chris Lewis disrupted a pair of shots during a single rally. The senior short-stick specialist had a speedy closeout before dropping the hammer on a shooter from behind. Moments later, he showed his hustle while laying out for a diving deflection that helped stymie a second-chance opportunity.

Along with Lewis, Kelley and Colin DeGrassi also blocked shots before the offense added one final goal.

With a minute left in regulation, the ball squirted into the teeth of the Gettysburg defense after a deflection off a pipe shot. Battling for possession, Santoro tied up a Bullet before Smith scurried through the crowd, secured the spinner, and drove home the final nail to lock up the 16-9 win.

Overall, Gettysburg held a 56-32 advantage in shots and a 39-21 lead in ground balls. The Bullets also won 21 of the game's 29 faceoffs, but the Captains converted half of their shots into goals to help overcome the statistical disparities.

Christopher Newport will return to action on February 18 when the Captains host No. 10 Washington and Lee at 6 p.m.

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