NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Solidifying their spot in the history books, Kevin Miller and Jamie Smith put on a 60-minute clinic while carrying the third-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team to a 16-11 victory over No. 17 Stevenson on a chilly Saturday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.

Miller finished the contest with nine points, which equaled the seventh-highest total in program history. Serving as the chief facilitator, he handed out six assists, which matched the fourth-most by a Captain. Incredibly, in the illustrious history of the CNU men's lacrosse program, there have only been 16 six-assist games. Miller has now accounted for half of them.

Equally effective on the offensive end, Smith deposited six goals, which equaled the 10th-most by a Captain. It also was his 23rd straight game with at least one tally, tying former All-American Brett Jackson for the fourth-longest scoring streak in school lore.

In addition to their individual efforts, Miller and Smith also made history together. During the contest, they teamed up on five of Christopher Newport's 16 goals. Incredibly, they have now joined forces on 48 total tallies over the past two years, making them the most prolific pairing in program history. Previously, longtime legends Coby Auslander and Drew Miller held the title as CNU's most lethal tandem after they collaborated on 44 goals from 2020-24.

Adding a fitting punctuation mark to his historic appearance, Miller finished Saturday's contest with 125 career assists. That moved him into a tie with his older brother, Drew, for the second-most in school history.

Rounding out the family affair, Ryan Miller - the youngest of the three brothers - set a new career-high with seven points and five assists during the game.

Along with the offensive stars, Grant Giunchi controlled possession while winning 19 of his 29 faceoff attempts. Meanwhile, on the back end, Mark Davison had three takeaways, Rory Keverline notched a pair, and Mason Bellinger came through with 13 saves.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 5-0 on the season and recorded its third straight win against a top-25 foe after handling No. 9 Gettysburg and No. 12 Washington and Lee earlier this month. On the other side, the setback dropped Stevenson to 1-2.

Early in the contest, CNU set the tone on the defensive end. After the Mustangs opened the scoring just 20 seconds into regulation, the Captains clamped down. Armer Harrison clubbed a ball loose in the left alley, Davison forced an errant pass with tight pressure at the top of the zone, and Daniel Siaton put his stick in the back of an attacker to cause another miscue in the right wing.

Just as effective between the pipes, Bellinger came through with a sensational save during a short-handed situation after dropping to his knees to stone a blast destined for the five-hole in the seventh minute.

Along with the defensive highlights, the attack found its rhythm. Ryan Miller kicked off the scoring after snapping a screamer around the hip of a defender. Moments later, Kevin Miller carved up the opposition with feeds to Smith and Ethan Slusher before John Santoro dipped low and whipped a one-timer through the defense for a 4-1 advantage.

Continuing the early onslaught, Randolph Campbell added to his highlight reel. Isolated along the left sideline, he took off on a sprint towards the cage. Running right through the defense, he went airborne along the post, sailed over the crease, and dunked on the keeper for his first goal of the contest.

Although the visitors shot back with three straight goals to cut their deficit down to 5-4 at the end of the first quarter, Christopher Newport never lost its lead.

In the second stanza, Smith saved a roller in the left wing before launching a pinpoint pass to Kevin Miller, who juked the keeper for their record-breaking 45th combined goal.

Seconds later, following a quick faceoff win by Giunchi, Slusher went back to work. Lowering his shoulder, he flashed some physicality while creating a little space after sending a defender stumbling backwards. With some room, he went low-to-high from long range for his second tally of the contest.

Continuing the surge, Kevin Miller connected with Smith on a skip pass for CNU's eighth goal, but Stevenson refused to go down quietly. The visitors strung together three strikes in the middle of the period to inch back within one at 8-7.

Looking for an answer, Ryan Miller slipped a seed inside to Smith. With the defense collapsing on top of him, the senior All-American dove through a crowd with three Mustangs on his back to sink his third goal of the first half.

Although Stevenson clawed back to within one right before the break, Christopher Newport regained its rhythm in the third quarter. First, Colin DeGrassi stonewalled an attacker in the left alley before stealing a pass down low. On the ensuing possession, Ryan Miller found his older brother, who faked low before shooting over the head of the keeper for a 10-8 lead.

Showing off his full skill-set, Ryan Miller added a leaping interception near midfield to kill off a clear attempt before snapping a shot around the waist of Stevenson's goalie on the very next rally. 

Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Bellinger gobbled up four saves during a minute-long rush by the Mustangs. Additionally, Brett Kelley launched an attacker over the right sideline, while AJ Rosacker used a great stick-lift to stymie a run near the crease. Then, Davison and Keverline tied a shooter in knots before dumping him to the turf during a subsequent surge.

Despite the defensive dominance, CNU only carried a one-goal lead into the fourth quarter. Looking for a little more breathing room, Campbell ran through two defenders near the right post before stinging a shot inside the pipe. Shortly thereafter, the Miller brothers teamed up again as Kevin planted a bullet into the top right corner of the cage for a 13-10 edge.

With momentum on their side, the Captains put the game on ice as Smith and Kevin Miller wrapped up their historic evening. With five minutes left, the dynamic duo joined forces again as Miller flipped a feed inside to Smith, who used a quick-stick to bat the ball past the keeper without ever cradling it.

After adding his fifth goal of the game off a pass from Ryan Miller, Smith returned to his old reliable to cap off the contest. However, this time, Kevin Miller added a new trick to his arsenal. 

Locked in a battle for a roller behind the crease, Miller never wasted time trying to pick it up. Instead, he just punted it past a pair of long poles. In the perfect position, Smith grabbed the ball, slithered around the left post, and scored on the doorstep to cap off the 16-11 triumph.

Overall, CNU held a 42-33 advantage in shots and a 39-22 lead in ground balls. The Captains also won 20 of the game's 31 faceoffs. 

Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the team hosts Randolph-Macon at 4 p.m.

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