Salisbury, Md. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Lynchburg men's lacrosse team's season came to an end Saturday in the NCAA Division III tournament quarterfinals.
The Hornets fell to No. 9 Christopher Newport, 12-11 in overtime, at Salisbury University's Sea Gull Stadium.
Lynchburg erased a two-goal deficit late in the fourth quarter on goals by Dylan Wolfe and Trammel Robinson to send the game into overtime, and the Hornets won possession off the face-off in the sudden-victory extra period.
The Hornets missed the goal with a pair of shots, and CNU won possession. The Captains cleared the ball, and Alex Brendes split the Lynchburg defense to score the game-winning goal.
Things could not have started better for Lynchburg. After CNU won the opening face-off, Lynchburg goalie Patrick Moore saved the first shot he saw, and the Hornet offense scored on the first shot it took, Robinson's goal on a Brett Rogers assist.
Kyle Lewis' score at the 10:47 mark in the first put Lynchburg ahead 2-0, and the Hornets built a 4-1 advantage after a quarter and looked to be in control.
The lead grew to 6-2 by the 6:44 mark in the second period after goals by Brooks Poli and Ryan Kenney, but then the Captains began to turn the tide. CNU scored three unanswered goals before halftime to cut the deficit to 6-5.
The Captains tied the game less than two minutes into the third quarter, but back-to-back goals by Kenney -- he had four in the game -- put the Hornets ahead again midway through the stanza.
CNU rallied for three straight scores, however -- the Captains assuming their first lead at the 4:12 mark -- and led 9-8 headed into the final period.
With CNU leading 11-9, Wolfe found the back of the net with 4:21 left in regulation. The Captains won the ensuing face-off, but both teams' defensive units made several stops as the clock wound below two minutes.
On the Hornets' fourth possession since they cut it to a goal, Colin Dean found Robinson, who finished in the upper right corner of the net to knot the game at 11 with 1:27 remaining.
Lynchburg got the ball back and called timeout to set up a play, but the Hornets couldn't score before the end of regulation.
Hornets face-off man Quintin Ricci won the opening face-off of OT, and Lynchburg managed a pair of shots but couldn't find the frame. After the second, the Captains won possession by proximity, setting up the winning goal.
It was the third meeting of the 2021 season between the two Division III powerhouse programs and the second CNU won in overtime. The Captains prevailed, 10-9, in Newport News March 20, and Lynchburg won the second meeting at home, 12-5, March 26.
The Hornets finish the season 18-3, the second-most wins in a single season in the program's history, and made their fifth NCAA quarterfinal appearance.