Newport News, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg men's lacrosse teamsaw its postseason run come to an end Sunday afternoon with a 22-10 defeat at the hands of host Christopher Newport in the NCAA Division III third round at Jennings Family Stadium.
Although the Hornets fought valiantly against Stevenson in the second round of the NCAA tournament to claim a 15-6 victory, Lynchburg was ousted by a strong CNU side that hosted this quadrant of the tournament.
Fifth year midfielder Grant Voigt paced the Hornets with four goals, including a first-quarter hat trick that kept Lynchburg within striking distance early. Sophomore midfielder Liam Holman and senior attackman Finn Schmidt bagged two goals and each performer added one assist to finish the contest with three points apiece.
Despite their offensive efforts, the Hornets struggled to contain a potent Captains offense. CNU's Brett Jackson led all scorers with seven goals, while Jamie Smith netted five. Kevin Miller quarterbacked the attack with six points (2g, 4a), helping the hosts pull away with a 12-goal rally across the first and second quarters that broke open the outing, allowing the Captains to obtain a 15-3 advantage heading into the halftime intermission.
CNU controlled momentum in the second half to claim victory. The Hornets saw freshman faceoff specialist Rocco Egan go eight-for-21 on the draw in place for an injured Riley Frankel, who earned six wins on 14 draws.
Bright spots included a man-up goal from Charlie Evans early in the third and a late strike by Cole Oprandi, who also recorded an assist. The Hornets went one-for-two on extra-man opportunities, while the defense held CNU scoreless on their lone EMO.
Although the result did not fall in the Hornets' favor, Lynchburg closes the season with a strong 14-win campaign and NCAA appearance for the 13th consecutive season, continuing a tradition of NCAA showings under head coach Steve Koudelka. The Hornets have claimed at least one victory in the NCAA tournament for the third straight season.
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