NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Facing the nation's second-ranked scoring offense, the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team pieced together a defensive clinic while stifling the high-powered Pfeiffer Falcons on the way to a 20-7 victory during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on a sun-drenched Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.
During the contest,
Colin DeGrassi established a new career-high with five caused turnovers. That also matched the most by a Captain in the national playoffs in school history. Previously, fellow All-American Ryan Young also had five strips during a third-round battle against Wesleyan on May 15, 2022.
Along with DeGrassi,
Brett Kelley chipped in with three takeaways, while
Rory Keverline,
Jed Pellicano,
Brendan Medearis, and
Kevin Miller had two apiece. Overall, the Captains baited the Falcons into 27 turnovers during the 60-minute masterpiece.
In addition to his work on the defensive end, Miller also collected six points, including his 100th of the season. He became the first player in program history to hit the century mark twice after setting a new school record with 115 points in 2025.
Ryan Miller added a little history of his own on Saturday. The first-year phenom matched his career-high with four goals while finishing with five total points. With that outburst, he wrapped up the day with 77 total points this season, breaking the program's all-time freshman record of 75 set by former legend Dylan Rice in 2018.
Along with the Miller brothers,
John Santoro set a new career-high with three points, while
Ethan Slusher matched that effort with two goals and an assist of his own.
With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 17-3 on the season and earned a spot in the third round of the national playoffs. The Captains will continue the postseason on Sunday at 3 p.m. with a showdown against No. 13 Washington and Lee, who posted a 19-10 victory over No. 7 Gettysburg during the second game of Saturday's twin bill.
On the other side, Pfeiffer concluded its season with a 16-3 record.
From the very beginning, Christopher Newport set the tone. On the opening faceoff,
Ryan Miller cut through a crowd to secure the roller before landing the game's first blow just 19 seconds into regulation. Shortly thereafter,
Jude MacLean painted the bottom right corner of the cage with a long-range rocket before Slusher dunked on the doorstep after tight-roping along the crease for a 3-0 edge.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side, the Captains kept the visitors in check.
Mason Bellinger kicked off his afternoon with a shorthanded save on a low-to-high riser. Later, DeGrassi picked off an errant feed on a failed clear, Keverline de-twigged an attacker in the left alley, and Kelley intercepted a behind-the-back attempt in the center of the zone.
Although the Falcons eventually found an opening in the 10th minute, CNU quickly responded.
Fred Fulkerson fed across the crease to
Kevin Miller, who deposited a shot along the right post to snatch a 4-1 edge at the end of the first period.
In the second stanza, Christopher Newport slapped seven unanswered goals onto the board during a relentless assault. Kelley kicked off the surge with a pole goal in transition. Meanwhile,
Ryan Miller contributed three strikes, including a slick play in the 22nd minute that saw him break out a spin move to spiral past a short-stick midfielder in the right alley.
Along with Miller's eruption,
Jamie Smith joined the party with a rocket off his back leg following a nice long-pole feed from
Caden Cunningham. Santoro also kissed the left post with a missile, while
Jackson Shaw added the final tally after ripping a rocket over the shoulder of the keeper just as a defender upended him on the doorstep.
Equally effective on the other side of the field, DeGrassi got into the hands of an attacker and forced an errant pass, while
Mark Davison planted a Falcon with a bruising hit in traffic. Then, during a 4-on-6 shorthanded situation,
Jed Pellicano wrestled possession away at the top of the zone before DeGrassi burst in and grabbed the ground ball to kill a pair of penalties and keep an 11-1 edge entering the break.
In the second half, the Captains remained vigilant. DeGrassi picked off a bouncer before Cunningham unleashed a barrage of checks, including one that snapped the stick of a Pfeiffer attackman. Kelley also deflected a dump pass in the right alley to thwart another surge later in the quarter.
Meanwhile, on the offensive side, the Captains kept humming along. Early on, Slusher unleashed a step-down screamer that buzzed over the head of a defender who saved himself after diving out of the way. Then, Shaw snapped an off-shoulder stinger over the keeper before
Kevin Miller squeezed a rip between the keeper and the right post, which locked up a 14-4 lead entering the final quarter.
In the fourth frame, the Captains added six more goals to their ledger.
Randolph Campbell came through with a backhanded finish while blistering a shot past the earhole of the keeper.
Danny Kaplan also beat two men on a sprint down the left alley before converting a high bouncer that landed in the top right corner of the cage.
Later, Smith pitched in with a man-up missile before
Bennett Spruell split a pair of long poles during a rush from the right wing. Eventually, after slipping through the trees, he bounced off a short-stick midfielder on the interior while keeping his toes just out of the crease for the squad's 18th goal.
Then, in the waning moments of regulation, Santoro came through with a sidearm scorcher for his second goal before
Gabe Montognese capped off the scoring with a little high heat from the left alley.
On the other side, Christopher Newport added a few final highlights to keep the Falcons from inching back into the contest. Cunningham blocked a shot in the left wing before
Chris Lewis caused an off-target pass with tight pressure in the right corner. Moments later,
Will Cramp came down with a leaping interception in the left alley,
Armer Harrison picked off another failed feed, and
Keegan Smith added a gorgeous takeaway check to help punctuate the festivities.
Overall, CNU held a 47-38 advantage in shots and a 45-29 lead in ground balls. Meanwhile, Pfeiffer won 17 of the game's 28 faceoffs. On an individual level, DeGrassi matched his career-high with six rollers, while Kelley hauled in three of his own.
Grant Giunchi also went 8-for-14 on faceoffs, while Bellinger finished with 15 saves in the crease.
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