Box Score

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- In the program's final statement as a member of the USA South Athletic Conference, the 15th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team left a lasting mark with an impressive 23-8 victory over Greensboro to secure the squad's eighth straight league championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on a sparkling Saturday afternoon at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex.

In an all-around record-breaking performance, the Captains were led by Tournament MVP Ashton Marshall, who peppered the Greensboro defense with seven goals and an assist. With that effort, the junior star eclipsed her personal-best with 67 goals this year and now moves within nine of the all-time single-season program mark.

Just as potent on the offensive end, Elena Obregon came through with six points including four goals, while Rachel Tomlinson and Becca Geist each added a pair of scores and combined for seven assists. Lauren King also dished out a team-high five helpers and added seven draw controls. Fittingly, all four standouts joined Marshall on the All-Tournament team.

Guided by those efforts, Christopher Newport set new single-season program records with 314 goals and 486 points with at least three games remaining in 2013.

Equally as effective on the defensive end on Saturday, Monica Evans forced three turnovers and scooped up five ground balls. The senior earned a spot on the All-Tournament team along with fellow fourth-year standout Kelly Lane. Overall, the Captains forced 12 turnovers during the contest, which bumped their yearly total to 182, which also stands as a new single-season mark.

The victory extends CNU's program-best winning streak to 16 games and moves the squad to 16-1 on the season, which now stands as the finest record in team history. Greensboro wraps up the year at 9-10.

Leaving nothing to chance in the championship bout, Christopher Newport scored early and often. King kicked off the surge with a goal and an assist during the first three minutes of action before Marshall simply took control of the game. Although Greensboro was able to score a pair of goals during the first eight minutes of regulation, Marshall was unstoppable for the Captains. During an unbelievable 10-minute run, she assaulted the GC defense with five straight goals, including three off assists by King.

Incredibly, two of her goals came during an 11-second window.  During that stretch, Geist won a draw control and slipped a pass to Marshall, who came free up the middle and blistered a dart to the back of the net. On the ensuing draw, King grabbed the ball and followed suit, dishing to the MVP who immediately lined another rocket through the Pride defense.

Marshall's run eventually pushed CNU's lead to 7-2 before Geist added back-to-back tracers following assists by Obregon and Tomlinson. Later, Marshall struck again before Tomlinson and Grace Valentine added their first goals of the game to secure a running clock at 12-2 with nine minutes remaining in the half.

Looking for a little more cushion, Tomlinson and Marshall teamed up on the junior's final goal of the game before Greensboro cut the deficit back down to 10. Refusing to let up, despite competing two players down following a pair of yellow cards in the waning moments of the half, Jessica Singer dished to Obregon, who added a perfect cap to the stanza with a laser just before the horn sounded.

Leading 14-3, CNU went right back to Obregon after halftime. The freshman phenom scored a pair of goals to open the frame before Valentine tacked on her second of the contest. Trailing 17-3, Greensboro mustered a bit of a response with three straight goals, including a pair by Kirstin Norris, but the damage was done. The Pride could never pull back within 10 as the Captains ended the contest with one last surge.

Continuing her strong play, Tomlinson came through with a goal and an assist in less than a minute before Singer, Nina Stinson, and Kylie Chaplin all found openings during the final few moments of regulation. With a 22-7 lead, the Captains did surrender a late goal to the Pride, but freshman Olivia McMurtrie immediately answered with her third goal of the year to seal the title.

On the defensive side of the ball, Christopher Newport was terrific all game long. In addition to Evans' team-high three caused turnovers, Singer and Stinson both notched a pair. Hanna Slough finished the game with four saves, while Hannah Wilkerson played the last seven minutes between the pipes for CNU.

Greensboro was led by Norris, who posted a team-high four points on the way to All-Tournament honors. Nadya Fedun, Brittany Ziobro and Kaleigh Hemstock also earned All-Tournament accolades for the Pride, while Ferrum's Brooke Hewartson rounded out the postseason honorees.

Before the NCAA Tournament kicks off, Christopher Newport will have two more games during the regular season. The squad heads to Ashland for a 1 p.m. contest against Randolph-Macon on April 20 before traveling to Salisbury for a 2 p.m. clash the very next day.

---CNU---