 17-9, the final CNU defeating Dickinson here in game two of the 2024 Mustang Classic. CNU head coach Mikey Thompson with us. Mikey, first of all, congratulations on the win. Just an overall thought on how your team played today. Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, just really proud of our guys with how we battled back after a tough game last week. Long trip up to Boston. We got pushed around a little bit by a really good team. And so you do a little soul searching after games like that. It's just a credit to our experience and leadership to be able to handle that in the right way and address things that were issues in that game and frankly have been throughout the beginning part of the season and just keeping that optimistic mindset that the best is ahead for this group. And this was definitely our most complete game that we've played all year. Dickinson is an incredible opponent and they're well coached and they have a lot of very talented players. So to be able to be on the winning side versus a team like that is obviously exciting. Let's break this game down into a couple different components. At the start of the game, it was fairly even. I think Dickinson even had a two to one lead. Mikey, their face off guy was kind of dominant. Then you guys won on a run to take a 6-2 lead, five straight goals. What was the difference there in that run for you guys to kind of spread it out a little bit? I think it just all starts with playing unselfish and I think we move the ball better today than we have all season. And so when you're willing to work hard for those high percentage shots and ultimately some of those end up in the back of the net, that's how you start to string together a little bit of momentum and some of those runs. And Warner Cabinus, our face off guy is over his career, he's always gotten better throughout the course of a game. So there's never any panic button when he doesn't win the first couple. We know that he's gonna keep battling and he did a phenomenal job out there against one of the best kids in the country and Mikey. And then Dickinson scores a couple of goals in the last 20 seconds of the first half to cut into that lead at 6-4. They seem to have a little momentum. They score a goal with less than one second to play in the second quarter. What was your message to your squad at the half? Well, that's actually one of the things that we identify every game is we don't wanna give up any goals in the first minute or the last minute of a quarter. And that's really hard to recover from. So just telling our guys that it was a very, very strong half on both sides of the ball that one minute got away from us a little bit, but that's why everybody loves lacrosse. It wouldn't be as exciting if that type of stuff didn't happen. Talk about some of the individual players and the names, you know, Brenda's and Cook. I mean, obviously you're gonna talk about those guys every game, but Kevin Miller today gets his first start. He and his brother Drew Miller combined for six assists, if I'm not mistaken. Talk a little bit about Kevin Miller and what he brought today. Kevin's an excellent player. He's been a little bit banged up throughout the start of his freshman spring. He was phenomenal in the fall and we knew that we had a real weapon, you know, just waiting to unleash in a big moment. And he really rose to the occasion. He has great chemistry, he's got great vision, just such a good lacrosse player. Does everything really well and just really proud of how he showed up in a big moment. And Ryan Young was dominant in the middle as usual and talk about your goalkeeper as well. Not a lot of saves, I think maybe only nine, but some huge saves right out in front. Yeah, you know, sometimes Hanway has these games that don't jump off the page, but he quietly makes the saves that he needs to. And, you know, those were big moments when he made some of those point blank saves. And, you know, he's a warrior coming back from a little bit of an injury last week. And, you know, again, just proud of his mindset coming into this game to want to get back out there in that moment and to be a leader of our defense. And Ryan Young is the same way. You know, he's our leader on defense. He's such a positive influence for our defense. And so I thought that that was our most cohesive game on that side of the ball that we've had all year. Besides for the great matchups that the Mustang Classic gives you, it's also a chance for you to get an early season look at how your team can come back day to next day in a situation because that's what you may face in the tournament. So talk about the quick turnaround and what you want your team to try to accomplish in the next 24 hours. Yeah, absolutely. We've already had one back-to-back this year and we'll do one more at the end of the season. So it's what we do in May. And so having that experience going back-to-back is really important. And, you know, the message to my guys was that it's a real challenge. You know, the psychology of a college kid after a big win like that is somewhat predictable, unfortunately. So just making them understand that the reason why the result was the way it was is because we just executed one minute at a time for 60 minutes and that has nothing to do with what's going to happen tomorrow. So we have to reset and we have to gain a little bit of confidence and momentum from that. But at the same time, understand that St. Lawrence is an incredible team. They're very talented, very tough, and they're going to make us earn everything. And that's why we come to this event. Yeah, and I was going to say you probably had a chance to scout them. They had their early game today. So what were your impressions of them overall? They're just a great team, top to bottom. I mean, it starts in the goal and at the face-off x. You know, if you were to build a team and those were the first places you started, you'd be in good shape. And they are tough. They're smart. I noticed them wear down York a little bit just in some really long possessions. I don't think they're really smart about handling the ball and handling pressure. They've got some physical Dodgers. And they're a little bit unique on defense as well. I mean, if you look at their scores that they've been giving up this year, they haven't been giving up a lot of goals. So we're going to have our work cut out for us, for sure. But again, it's why we love coming to this event. I also just love watching how all these other teams interact, all the little details off the field as well. And you just pick up these little things about all the great programs that are here. And we're just grateful to be a part of it. It's also great for the fans. I mean, the moms and dads, the families and friends get a chance to come to Baltimore for the weekend, see 10 great games, five great teams, or I should say 10 great teams, and just really embrace the sport at what usually is a nice time of the year. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. I mean, it's the best place for a lacrosse fan. I think if I lived in this area, it would be a staple on my calendar to come check it out. So there's some amazing teams and amazing players out here. And just the environment is something special. Sounds good. Listen, rest up. We'll see you tomorrow afternoon. Thank you much, appreciate it. That's Mikey Thompson, head coach of CNU. Christopher Newport today, 17-9 over Dickinson. Back for more on Go Mustang Sports.tv.