Box Score  // Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Although the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team was able to overcome a three-goal halftime deficit with an early second-half onslaught, the Captains could not quite hang onto their lead as 13th-ranked Mary Washington closed out the scoring with six of the last eight goals to come away with a 15-13 victory at Captains Turf Field on a frigid Saturday afternoon.

With freezing temperatures and non-stop precipitation blanketing the field, Ashton Marshall was unfazed and pieced together a spectacular effort. The reigning USA South Player of the Year scored a game-high seven goals and added an assist to lead the Christopher Newport attack. Lauren King and Jessica Singer also chipped in with a pair of scores each for CNU (0-1).

After falling behind 9-6 at halftime, the Captains were the aggressor early in the second half. Less than two minutes into the period, Elena Obregon found a space and fired a rocket through the UMW defense that pulled the hosts within two. Less than 30 seconds later, CNU pulled even closer after King found Marshall streaking through the zone. With a quick flip, she launched a dart into the net that got Christopher Newport back within one at 28:42.

With King keeping pressure on Mary Washington after securing two straight draw controls, Marshall came back for more. Following a yellow card against the Eagles, Marshall took a pass and broke free down the center of the field. Almost unimpeded all the way to the goal, she lined a laser that knotted the game at nine at 25:50.

With work left to do, the CNU attack continued its assault. Less than a minute later, Becca Geist found an opening and curled around the nearside of the net. With a perfect toss, Emily Johnson hit her in stride before Geist unloaded a bullet past the Eagle goalie to give the hosts their first lead since the 18-minute mark in the first half.

Clutching to a 10-9 advantage, Marshall gave the Captains some breathing room after blistering her sixth goal of the game with just over 22 minutes left in regulation. Unfortunately, the visitors regrouped and came storming back. Ashlyn Dacey and Emily Atkinson both slipped shots past the CNU defense to knot the game at 11 before Marshall broke the deadlock with her seventh tally of the contest at 18:38.

Less than a minute later, Keller Torrey retied the game at 12 after scoring her fourth goal of the game before Corinne Wiederkehr gave Mary Washington a slim 13-12 lead with 13 minutes remaining in regulation. With the momentum favoring the Eagles, Singer helped give CNU new life with her second goal of the game, but Dacey closed out the game for the visitors.

With the game tied against at 13, Dacey broke the tie with just over three minutes remaining in regulation. One minute later, after Katie Mastropaolo forced a crucial turnover for the Eagles, Dacey came back with one final score at 2:12 to seal the 15-13 victory.

Torrey finished the game with five goals for Mary Washington, while Dacey chipped in with three. Katie Williams also added two goals and an assist to help round out the visitor's potent attack.

The first half played much like the second with CNU setting a frenetic pace early before Mary Washington came back with a powerful surge. Fittingly, Marshall kicked off the scoring with a goal just two minutes into regulation before King gave the Captains a 2-0 lead just six minutes later.

As they did all day, the Eagles fired back. Torrey was nearly unstoppable in the CNU zone, tallying three goals in a five-minute span for UMW. Williams also added a pair for the guests during a 7-1 run that gave Mary Washington a comfortable 7-3 lead.

Although Marshall broke the streak with two more goals in the middle of the first half and King and Singer added back-to-back darts in rapid succession nearing the end of the period, Torrey tacked on one more with three minutes left to give Mary Washington a 9-6 lead heading into the break.

Despite a gutsy effort by the Captains after halftime, the Eagles simply would not be denied. Although the hosts held a 33-27 advantage in shots and an 18-12 edge in draw controls, the visitors found openings when it mattered to pull out the season-opening victory.

Christopher Newport will be back in action next Saturday when the Captains host Washington & Lee at 1 p.m.

---CNU---