Battle-tested CNU seeks NCAA title run
If the Christopher Newport men’s lacrosse team is worried about falling short of an NCAA championship this season, it would be hard to tell after hearing from some of the star players last Saturday.
That day, the Captains completed their regular season with a dominating 20-5 win over New Jersey’s Kean University. The victory left CNU with a 15-1 record and No. 4 ranking in the Division III polls.
Last season, Mikey Thompson’s team was in an even better position entering the postseason with a 16-0 record, which included a convincing 17-7 win over then-No. 1 Salisbury. But the Captains stumbled in May, losing the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship game to Salisbury 15-10, then dropping a heartbreaking 10-9 decision to York of Pennsylvania in an NCAA quarterfinal. Is there cause for concern? No, said Thompson, who believes that this year’s team is battle-tested.
“We set up the schedule to face the best teams in the country,” said Thompson, whose squad hopes to top Kean one more time in a Coastal Lacrosse Conference Tournament semifinal tonight in Salisbury, Maryland. “It gave us
a chance to be exposed, but we want to play our best when it matters the most.”
Thompson’s logic almost came to haunt the Captains at one of their highest peaks. After defeating then-No. 1 Rochester Institute of Technology on March 17 at the Mustang Classic in Owings Mills, Maryland, CNU faced off against No. 7 Dickinson the following day.
“Before you could blink an eye, we were down 4-0,” Thompson recalled. However, the Captains fought back to pull ahead and win 13-12 as Alex Brendes scored the go-ahead goal with 3:36 remaining
in the game.
“We are confident that we can beat anybody,” said goalkeeper Zac Hanway, who became the all-time wins leader in Captains history against Kean. “We have learned a lot and we believe in ourselves.”
When asked about his individual records, Hanway added, “It won’t mean anything unless we get a natty chip,” referring to a national championship.
It’s a sentiment shared by the core of the CNU unit, which includes senior attackers Brendes (41 goals, 26 assists), Drew Miller (29 goals, 33 assists) and
Andrew Cook, senior midfielder Cody Auslander (25 goals, 43 assists) and sophomore attacker Brett Jackson.
Asked about the possibility of beating Salisbury, which has beaten CNU two times in a row (the Captains are 33-1 in their other games over the past two seasons), Auslander said the Captains need to handle business internally.
“We need to focus on ourselves,” he said. “As long as we put forth the effort and attitude, then we can develop in that circumstance and play our best.”
Cook spoke about the team coming together after losing last year’s top scorer, Dylan Rice, and his 72 goals.
“We didn’t lose anything,” said Cook, who leads the Captains with 53 goals. “We had to build our confidence and get everyone to buy in and see their potential.”
Jackson, an upstart attacker, is a prime example of a player showing marked improvement for CNU in 2023, jumping from 12 goals to 52 so far this season.
“The guys around have helped me. I watch the way we build chemistry, and it makes me want to be a more vocal leader and the best I can be out there,” he said.
If the Captains get past Kean, they will play at 1 p.m. Sunday in the conference championship game at Salisbury, likely against the host Sea Gulls.