Newport News, VA - Christopher Newport scored four goals in each of the first three quarters and Messiah was unable to dig out of the hole in a 13-8 road loss to the Captains.

Blake Knobloch, Liam Lilenthal, and Matthew Franken each tallied two goals for the Falcons.

Messiah is back in action on Wednesday when they host Frostburg State at 7:00 p.m.

Fighting Back Even
The Captains scored the first two goals of the game and, as mentioned, they went on to score four goals in the opening period. But Messiah wasn't overmatched by the start as they climbed back from a 2-0 hole to tie it at 2-2. Matthew Franken and Justin Bradley each scored to bring Messiah even, but it nevertheless took just 40 seconds for Will Geise to put CNU back up 3-2.
 
Geise—who scored the first four Captain goals and finished with six in the game—put the hosts up 4-2 with 2:08 to play in the first.
 
Sailing Ahead
The Captains scored three unanswered goals to open the second period and go up 7-2. The Falcons worked hard to inch back in, but despite going even with CNU in shots 11-11, they managed just two more goals and went into the half down 8-3.
 
Even Finish
Though Messiah finished with a loss, it wasn't without a strong final two periods that saw the Falcons match the Captains, 5-5. Messiah also outshot the hosts in the second-half, 25-20, but it was the faceoff game—8-4 in the second-half in favor of CNU, and 18-7 overall—that kept Messiah from holding possession long enough to get quality looks on cage.
 
In the second-half Blake Knobloch (2), Matthew Franken, Liam Lilienthal (2), and Mitch Salantly all scored to help Messiah narrow their gap.
 
In the Box
Franken finished with a team-high five groundballs to go along with two goals and an assist. Sam Stengel collected 17 saves in a strong effort between the pipes, a welcomed showing considering the Captains launched 50 total shots.
 
Next Up
As mentioned, Messiah will play again on Wednesday when they host Frostburg State under the lights.