NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – After building a 9-5 halftime lead, No. 3 nationally ranked Christopher Newport outscored No. 14 Wesleyan men's lacrosse 5-0 in the third quarter, which proved more than enough in a 21-8 victory for the Captains. Wesleyan (13-6) sees their season come to an end in the NCAA Third Round while Christopher Newport advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the second straight season.
 
The Captains' fourth-best scoring offense in the nation was firing on all cylinders throughout as five different goal scorers for Christopher Newport factored in the first quarter goals for the home side. DJ Dixon '24 scored twice for the Cardinals before Matt Gill '23 found Justin Hazard '23 with just one second remaining on the clock that made it 5-3 Captains after one.
 
Despite the last-gasp Hazard goal, the Captains bounced right back at the start of the second and scored three unanswered. Nolan Collins '23 put an end to the Captains' run with his first career goal before Noah Braunstein '23 found the back of the net 41 seconds later to make it 9-5 Captains at the break.
 
The game was largely decided in the third quarter wherein the Captains outscored Wesleyan 5-0 and thoroughly dominated play, outshooting the Cardinals 15-1 in the frame while forcing the Cardinals into nine turnovers compared to just two for Christopher Newport.
 
Leading 14-5 heading into the fourth, the Captains scored seven more in the fourth and ultimately closed out a 21-8 NCAA Third Round win.
 
Wesleyan was outshot 57-21 for the game and committed 26 turnovers (second-most in a game this season) while Christopher Newport had just 10 turnovers. Ground balls favored the Captains 40-25 while faceoffs were even at 16 apiece.
 
Dixon finished with a hat trick to go along with one caused turnover. Hazard and Gill each recorded one goal and one assist. Hazard (89 points) and Gill (85) were incredible all throughout 2022, recording the fourth and fifth highest single-season point totals in program history, respectively.
 
Tyler Campbell was 11-for-20 on faceoffs with six ground balls. Collins had another big day, finishing with five ground balls, one caused turnover and one goal. Colin Hanley '22 made 15 saves in the cage for Wesleyan.