NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Despite a strong opening half of play, the No. 12 Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team fell by a final score of 13-10 against No. 3 Christopher Newport on Wednesday evening in the ninth annual Virginia Lacrosse the Nations Cup game.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Generals (0-2) scored the first two goals of the game, thanks to first-years Garrett Ferguson and Luke Caldwell, with Caldwell assisting on the first. The Captains (4-0) answered by ending the quarter with three goals, two from Jamie Smith, to grab their first lead.
- W&L continued to settle in on the offensive end, scoring six of the game's next eight goals to regain an 8-5 lead with 2:21 remaining before the half. Caldwell scored twice more plus two goals from senior James Haley during that stretch.
- Christopher Newport got a goal from Ryan Traynor with 1:35 left in the half, which started a 7-1 run for the Captains that spanned well into the fourth quarter. A Kevin Miller goal completed the run for the hosts to put the score at 12-9 with 3:23 left in regulation.
- Sophomore Jack Dalton had a quick response for the Generals, getting it back to a two-goal game just 26 seconds after Miller's goal. The Captains claimed the ensuing face-off and maintained possession for a majority of the remainder of the contest, before Smith tallied the final goal with six seconds on the clock.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- For the second straight game, Caldwell was W&L's offensive leader with four points, which came on three goals and an assist. Haley added three points (2g, 1a), while senior Elliot Cohen and Dalton both had a goal and an assist.
- Cohen added to his line by tying for the team high in caused turnovers (2) with first-year Eli Smink and senior Chris Datz. Cohen also had three ground balls, Smink picked up two and Datz tied first-year goalie Zach Rosenberg (4) for the most on the team.
- Miller totaled seven points on one goal and six assists for the Captains, followed by Smith's five points on four goals and one helper. Brett Kelley was the defensive leader in both ground balls (6) and caused turnovers (4).
- Between the pipes, Rosenberg made his first collegiate start and turned in a 19-save performance for a save percentage of 0.594. Mason Bellinger made saves on 10-of-20 shots on goal against him to get the win.
TEAM STATS:
- The Captains led the Generals in both shots (46-29) and shots on goal (32-20) for the game and committed seven fewer turnovers (12) than W&L (19).
- Both teams had successful clear rates above 90 percent. W&L was good on 23-of-25 (.920) to CNU's 25-of-26 (.962).
- Christopher Newport also had the edge in ground balls for the game, 36-27, which included a 21-9 advantage in the second half.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to the field on Saturday as they host Ohio Northern at 2:00 p.m. in their 2026 home opener.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
