GAMBIER, Ohio - The 2014 Whitworth men's soccer season came to an end in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday as Christopher Newport University edged Whitworth, 3-2, to hand the Pirates their second loss of the year.

No. 12 Whitworth (17-2-3) faced a two-goal deficit twice in the match and was unable to complete a comeback against No. 17 Christopher Newport (19-3-4). The Captains advanced to the round of eight and will play against the winner of No. 6 Kenyon and No. 14 Ohio Wesleyan on Monday.

Whitworth controlled the majority of possession during the match, particularly in the first half, and held a 13-5 shot advantage in the opening half. Yet the Captains -- who entered Sunday ranked fifth nationally with 69 total goals -- made the most of their opportunities by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes of play.

Christopher Newport's Ryan Balfour opened the scoring off a counterattack in the 12th minute, beating a defender up the left side of the field into the 18-yard box and finishing to the near post. The score marked the first goal conceded by Whitworth in the tournament, and first time the Pirates had allowed a goal since a match against George Fox on Oct. 26.

Alex Makumbi scored for the Captains just under five minutes after Balfour's goal, taking a pass in the 18-yard box on the left side of the field from Jimmy Grace and scoring to the right side of the goal.

"They're a team that scores well and we gave them two chances in the first 15 or 20 minutes, and they capitalized on both those chances," head coach Morgan Cathey said.

Whitworth battled back as Karl Muelheims cut the deficit in half with his seventh goal of the season in the 37th minute, scoring an unassisted goal in a crowded 18-yard box. The Pirates nearly tied the match just before halftime, as a header attempt from Austin Cassity hit the cross bar in the 45th minute.

The Captains took a 2-1 lead to half, thanks in part to goalkeeper Sam Lesko who faced six shots on goal before halftime and made multiple impressive saves to limit the Whitworth offensive success.

"I thought it was one of the best halves of soccer we've played all year," Cathey said in regard to Whitworth's play in the first half. "We were exceptional -- I thought the whole game we were exceptional."

The Captains found offensive success once again after halftime and opened another two-goal advantage in the 52nd minute. Balfour sent a cross from the left side of the field to Jalon Brown, who headed the ball off the left post and into the goal from the right side in the 18-yard box. It was Brown's team-leading 20th goal of the season.

Matt Bray received a red card in the 68th minute following a yellow card earlier in the half, and the Pirates were forced to play with 10 players for the remainder of the match.

Whitworth cut into the deficit once again in the 71st minute as Colin Shockman netted his second goal of the season off a rebound in the box. The Pirates threatened to tie the match on multiple occasions with crosses into the box down the stretch, but the Captains limited Whitworth to one official shot attempt over the final 20 minutes of play and held on for the victory.

Timmy Costa collected two saves for the Pirates while Lesko made six saves, including five in the first half, for Christopher Newport.

Whitworth held a 19-10 advantage in shots during the match, including an 8-5 edge in shots on goal. The Pirates also took six corner kicks compared with two for the Captains.

Christopher Newport became only the second team to net three goals in a match against the Pirates this season. Pacific Lutheran was the only other team to do so during a 4-3 loss to the Pirates in October.

Whitworth finished with a season win percentage of .841, the third-best win percentage in program history.

"I've never been so proud to coach a group," Cathey said. "Their character was unbelievable."

Whitworth will lose 11 seniors the 2014 team. However, the Pirates will return experience as eight players who made at least nine starts this season will be back next season.

"Just how much they put in every single day in training and off the field as well, I would not coach another group," Cathy said. "I can't imagine coaching another group other than these guys -- amazing."