NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Stuffing a season's worth of highlights into a fourth-quarter masterpiece, the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team punched its ticket to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the sixth straight season as the Captains orchestrated an epic come-from-behind victory to take down No. 13 Washington and Lee, 13-12, on a sizzling Sunday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.
Headlining the late-game heroics,
Fred Fulkerson scored CNU's final three goals before
Mason Bellinger took over in the crease. Facing a last-second surge by the Generals, the senior All-American came through with back-to-back saves during one of the most remarkable individual efforts in program history.
Bellinger eventually finished the contest with 12 stops, including four in the fourth quarter.
On the offensive side, Fulkerson's fourth-quarter frenzy was set up by another incredible performance by
Kevin Miller. The junior star chipped in with four goals and four assists during a well-rounded showcase. His eight total points equaled the most by a Captain in NCAA Tournament history. Incidentally, he also had an eight-point eruption during a third-round victory over Lynchburg on May 11, 2025, while Alex Brendes had an identical outburst against Gettysburg on May 13, 2023.
Equally effective,
Jackson Platner established a new career-high with six points, including an assist on the go-ahead rip by Fulkerson in the fourth quarter.
With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 18-3 on the season and punched its ticket back to the NCAA Quarterfinals. The Captains will continue the postseason on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a battle against No. 12 Wesleyan (Conn.) in Medford, Massachusetts.
On the other side, Washington and Lee concluded the 2026 campaign with a 16-6 record.
Staring at an 8-4 deficit entering halftime, Christopher Newport regrouped during the break. Setting the tone early in the third quarter, Bellinger made a quick save before
Mark Davison and
Colin DeGrassi buried a pair of attackers in the turf to force a shot-clock violation on Washington and Lee's first possession of the period.
Following the defensive stand, Platner whistled a one-timer into the top left corner of the cage. Then, on the ensuing faceoff,
Grant Giunchi won the clamp and flipped the ball through his legs to
Brett Kelley, who kick-started a second surge.
Less than 50 seconds later, Platner dropped a dime to
Jamie Smith, who wrapped a worm-burner around the ankles of a defender for his first goal of the contest, which pulled CNU back within two at 8-6.
Although the visitors tried to retaliate, the Captains suffocated W&L's high-powered attack. DeGrassi blocked a shot with his helmet before
Garrett Bralley picked off a feed with a slick snag in front of the crease. Then, on Washington and Lee's next trip down the field, Bralley swatted a pass out of the air and won possession of the roller in the left wing.
Still standing tall on the back end, DeGrassi killed a clear attempt after stonewalling a streaker with a bruising hit at the top of the zone. Later,
Chris Lewis knocked down a skip pass before Kelley wrenched the ball loose from an attacker in the right alley.
Following the defensive stand, Christopher Newport went back to work on the offensive side. Late in the third quarter, Miller landed two straight blows. First, he capitalized on a flip from his younger brother before rifling a sidearm screamer from the right alley. Then, less than a minute later,
Jackson Shaw ate a series of checks from two different defenders. Showing his toughness, he battled through the barrage, kept possession, and tossed a feed to Miller, who capitalized on a hitch-and-hammer for the equalizer in the 44th minute.
Firing back, Washington and Lee scored just before the horn to regain a 9-8 edge entering the final stanza.
In the fourth quarter, CNU converted one of the fanciest goals of the season after breaking out the hidden ball trick. Starting the action at the top of the zone,
Ryan Miller faked a flip to Fulkerson. Immediately, the two stars parted ways as Fulkerson rolled down the left alley before Miller cut to the right.
Continuing the deception, Fulkerson ran towards the cage and faked a jump-shot along the left post. His Oscar-worthy acting skills caused the goalie to attempt a leaping save. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the field, Miller handed the ball to Platner, who unleashed a 30-yard missile that cut right past the keeper and knotted the score at nine.
Two minutes later, the visitors responded with their 10th goal before Christopher Newport put an end to the back-and-forth affair.
Following a timeout,
Kevin Miller curled up the right sideline, slipped under two defenders, scooted across the crease, and snapped a seed around the keeper to tie the game at 10. Moments later, Platner tracked down a loose ball in the left wing. With two defenders in tow, the sophomore sensation had no room to pick up the roller, so he simply swatted it off the turf and sent it spinning back through the Generals.Â
After collecting the ball, Fulkerson buried a shot into the bottom right corner of the cage for an 11-10 edge with less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
Looking for a little more breathing room, Fulkerson came back for more. Following a nice dodge by
Kevin Miller to slip underneath a defender along the right post, he lofted a feed to Fulkerson, who reached high, caught the floater, and dunked over the keeper for a 12-10 cushion.
Although W&L momentarily responded, Fulkerson had one more highlight in his back pocket. In the 58th minute, he sidestepped a defender, got his hands free, and laced a righty rip from the left alley for a 13-11 lead.
Refusing to go down quietly, the visitors scored just 30 seconds later to inch back within one. Needing some more heroics, Giunchi won the ensuing faceoff to himself, which allowed the Captains to run nearly a minute off the clock.
After Washington and Lee regained possession with 50 seconds left, the squad settled in and prepared for one last push. Running the clock down, W&L ran a pick behind the crease, which freed up an attacker on a roll around the right post.
One-on-one with the shooter, Bellinger made a sliding save from his knees to stone the initial blast. Incredibly, the ball popped right back to the General, who uncorked a second attempt from the doorstep. This time, he elevated his shot with Bellinger on the turf. Unfazed, the keeper scrambled back to his feet, stoned the second-chance scorcher, handled the rebound, and scampered into the right corner to kill off the final few seconds while sealing the victory.
Along with Bellinger's work in the crease, Kelley and
Rory Keverline finished with three takeaways apiece, while DeGrassi, Davison, and Bralley had two each. Additionally,
AJ Rosacker cleaned the field while setting a new career-high with seven ground balls.
Long before the game came to a close, Christopher Newport got off to a hot start. Less than a minute into regulation,
Ryan Miller split a pair of Generals in the right wing, grabbed a bounce pass from his brother, and used a spin move to spiral past a third defender before scoring on the inside. Moments later, after DeGrassi forced a turnover, Rosacker found
Kevin Miller in transition for the squad's second goal.
Along with the offensive highlights, the Captains put in work on the defensive end. Keverline had two early takeaways, including a sneaky stick-lift at midfield to prevent a General from collecting a roller on an over-and-back violation. Later, Shaw got just enough of his stick on a pass to deflect a feed in the left wing, while
Ryan Miller lifted up a midfielder and dumped him onto the turf to kill a clear attempt.
Unfortunately, Washington and Lee continued to attack and evened the score at two at the end of the first quarter before stealing a 5-2 edge early in the second period.
Regaining some momentum,
Daniel Siaton drew a crowd at the top of the zone before finding Platner, who landed a laser from the left alley. Then, after Smith and Kelley completed a successful double-team to cause a turnover along the sideline,
Ryan Miller peppered a shot into the top left corner of the cage for the team's fourth goal.
Once again, W&L fired back and connected on three straight goals at the end of the first half to carry an 8-4 edge into the break. However, CNU was undeterred and mounted an epic second-half surge that ended with Bellinger's heroic work in the crease to complete the come-from-behind victory.
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 41-39 advantage in shots, while Washington and Lee had a 41-38 edge in ground balls and won 15 of the game's 29 faceoffs. For the Captains, Giunchi went 14-for-28 at the dot while securing eight ground balls.
---ISH---
