OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- For the second straight day, the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team burst out to an early advantage and led wire-to-wire as the Captains held up against a late surge to knock off No. 7 Lynchburg, 17-13, during a nationally-ranked thriller on Saturday morning at Stevenson's Mustang Stadium. Holding a 13-4 lead midway through the third quarter, Christopher Newport faced a ferocious comeback by Lynchburg as the Hornets clawed back within two with five minutes remaining in regulation. Despite the resurgence, the Captains showed a steely resolve down the stretch as the defense stepped up before Andrew Cook and Zack Sands added back-breaking goals to lock up the win. Overall, Cook finished the contest with four strikes, while Alex Brendes chipped in with a hat-trick. Aidan Wheeler and Coby Auslander also came through with two goals apiece, and Drew Miller added three assists. On the defensive end, Zac Hanway notched 12 saves, including several momentum-turning stops during Lynchburg's second-half rally. Additionally, the defensive unit helped generate 17 turnovers, including two takeaways by Phoenix Hines. Meanwhile, Warner Cabaniss was instrumental in building the early lead as the freshman faceoff specialist won 12 of his 17 battles, including 10 of his first 11 attempts. With the victory, Christopher Newport improved its record to 9-0 on the season, which matches the 2018 squad for the best start in school history. Saturday's win also marked the team's second over a top-10 opponent in as many days after upending No. 10 Gettysburg on Friday. Incredibly, in the first 15 years of the men's lacrosse program, Christopher Newport beat three top-10 foes. In less than 24 hours, the 2022 squad knocked off a pair. On the other side, the loss dropped Lynchburg to 5-2. In the first quarter, Christopher Newport got off to a hot start with another offensive showcase. Following the same script that worked on Friday, Cook opened the scoring. Just over a minute into regulation, he used a swim move to beat a defender at the top of the zone before switching hands and snapping off a lefty laser for a fast 1-0 lead. Seconds later, the faceoff crew kept things rolling. Cabaniss won the ensuing battle and flipped to Campbell Pozin on the right side. Finding his fellow wing storming up the middle of the field, Pozin connected with Hines, who quickly laced a bouncer into the cage for a two-goal edge. Following Lynchburg's first goal, the Captains responded with a pair of their own as Miller led the way with two assists. During a man-up situation, the junior star fed up top to Brendes, who painted the bottom of the net with a low liner. Less than two minutes later, Miller took on a pair of defenders along the right side of the crease. Using a slick spin move, he eventually created a traffic jam that swallowed up most of the defense as Auslander filled the zone, snagged a pass, and converted on the move. Once again, Lynchburg answered with a goal before Christopher Newport fired back at the tail end of the first quarter. First, the defense killed off a man-down situation as Pozin ate up a rollback before Wheeler scooped up a blocked shot and went coast-to-coast for the team's fifth goal. Shortly thereafter, Lynchburg's goalie snuffed out an initial shot, but Brady Altobello forced his way inside and blew up the clear attempt, which gave the Captains a second opportunity. Taking advantage of the situation, Rice quickly grabbed the roller and scooted inside for his first goal of the game. Still looking for more, Jackson Deal added the final punctuation mark in the opening period. With a defender draped on his back and the Hornet's stick wrapped around his neck, he battled through contact, bullied his way around the right side of the crease, and unloaded a blast, which gave the team a 7-2 lead. In the second quarter, Christopher Newport continued to eat up the Lynchburg defense. Cook opened the scoring with a man-up goal off a feed from Miller. Later, after an errant pass by the Hornets, Pozin snatched the loose ball and kicked off a quick transition that resulted in another strike by Brendes, which handed the Captains a 9-2 advantage. Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Christopher Newport continued to star on the defensive end. During a lengthy rally in the middle of the quarter, Hanway made back-to-back saves before Burke Widhelm dropped an attacker who attempted to collect a rebound. Shortly thereafter, David Gonzalez blocked a shot to punctuate the surge. Minutes later, on Lynchburg's next trip down the field, the Hornets were bottled up again as Max Wayne absolutely swallowed an attacker behind the crease to force a turnover, which Widhelm cleaned up. With time winding down in the first half, Cook added the final strike after spinning around a defender at the top of the zone before whistling a bullet inside the left pipe. Then, on the other end, Hanway stoned a shot on a breakaway before snaring another rip following a Lynchburg timeout, which helped the Captains carry a 10-3 lead into the break. After halftime, Christopher Newport continued to stretch its edge in the third quarter. Kicking things off, Auslander appeared to be tied up by a defender along the right pipe, but he simply carried the Hornet around the post before slipping a submarine shot past the keeper. Two minutes later, Brendes put a defender on skates to free up some space before sniping on the interior. Following Lynchburg's first goal of the second half, the Captains retaliated with another transition strike. After a takeaway by Hines, Wheeler collected the ball and stormed up the field before blasting on the run for his second goal of the contest, which gave the team a 13-4 lead. Staring at a lopsided deficit, the Hornets pieced together a response. Lynchburg drove home five straight goals to inch back within four entering the final minute of the period. Needing to stem the tide, the offense found an opening. Rice drew the attention of the defense during a run at the top of the zone before flipping possession back to Altobello, who dotted the top corner of the cage with a tracer. Still rallying, Lynchburg opened the fourth quarter with another goal. With momentum flowing in the wrong direction, Sands came through with a crucial faceoff victory. Less than a minute later, Will Stockhausen used a screen to disrupt a pair of defenders, which allowed Miller to slip free on a roll around the right side before depositing his first goal of the game. Back up by five, Christopher Newport had time on its side. Although Lynchburg continued to chisel away at the lead, the Captains worked the clock and forced the Hornets into lengthy possessions. Meanwhile, Ryan Young stamped out a breakaway with a bruising check along the right side of the crease before Hanway leaked out of the cage and intercepted a pass, which killed off a key rally. Although Lynchburg continued its push with three more goals to inch back within two at 15-13, Christopher Newport regrouped on the offensive end. Capitalizing on a penalty, Cook unleashed a man-up dagger with four minutes left after snapping off a rocket around a defender on the left side of the zone. Seconds later, Sands came through with the back-breaker. On the ensuing faceoff, the second-year star picked up a clean win. Staring at daylight, he charged forward, faked a pass, and fired on the run to give Christopher Newport a 17-13 edge with four minutes remaining in regulation. After that point, the Captains put the game on ice as Hanway added a save and two ground balls over the waning moments of regulation to stymie the comeback bid and secure his ninth straight victory. Overall, Christopher Newport held a 53-34 lead in shots and a 41-33 advantage in ground balls. Meanwhile, the Captains also won 17 of the game's 33 faceoffs. Pozin excelled as a wing and collected seven ground balls, while Cabaniss and Sands added four rollers apiece. Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the team welcomes Washington & Lee to town for a 4 p.m. battle at Jennings Family Stadium.