Box Score

SALISBURY, Md. -- The 14th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team saw its 17-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday afternoon as the Captains dropped a 14-7 decision to No. 2 Salisbury during a hard-fought top-20 showdown at Sea Gull Stadium.

Hanna Slough collected 10 saves for CNU and four Captains chipped in with two points each, but Salisbury used a strong second half to pull away with the seven-goal victory. The setback drops Christopher Newport to 17-2 on the season, while the Sea Gulls remain unbeaten at 16-0.

On the offensive side, Becca Geist, Lauren King, Kelly Lane, and Rachel Tomlinson all notched a goal and an assist for the Captains. Emily Johnson also scored and picked up a team-high three ground balls, while Elena Obregon added her 50th goal of the season. With that tally, she set a new freshman scoring record for CNU, trumping Ashton Marshall's 49 goals scored during her first year in 2011.

Early in the game, the Captains controlled the tempo and held the Salisbury attack in check. CNU unloaded the first two shots of the contest and kept the ball in the SU zone for most of the first six minutes. After that point, the Sea Gulls grabbed the momentum as Lauren Feusahrens struck with the game's first goal at 23:04 and tacked on another just five minutes later.

Unfazed by the early strikes, Christopher Newport responded. After Slough made her second stop of the game, the Captains cleared the zone and went storming down on the attack. Following a foul by the Sea Gulls, Geist found King, who blistered a bullet into the back of the net at 13:22 to cut CNU's deficit in half.

After that point, Salisbury regained control and looked strong at the end of the first half. Although Jessica Singer added Christopher Newport's second goal following an assist by Tomlinson, the Sea Gulls used a pair of two-goal spurts to grab a 6-2 lead heading into halftime.

Although the hosts were able to find some openings, Slough did a commendable job between the pipes. During the first 30 minutes, the freshman standout notched six saves to clamp down on the SU attack. Overall, she allowed just six goals during the first half, which marked Salisbury's second-lowest halftime output of the season.

Unfortunately, following the break, the Sea Gulls found their groove. Less than four minutes into the second half, Shannon Carta and Shelby Nemecek each scored to push Salisbury's lead to 8-2. Refusing to go down quietly, Geist won the ensuing draw before Lane broke free and fired a dart for CNU's third goal of the game at 26:19.

After that point, the hosts scored four straight to grab a nine-goal lead before the Captains closed out the game on a bit of a run. At the 14-minute mark, Obregon added her 50th goal of the season following an assist by King before Marshall and Tomlinson teamed up just four minutes later. Trailing 13-5 with eight minutes remaining, CNU showed an unshakeable determination and continued to battle.

At 4:11, Johnson found some space and unloaded her third goal of the season. Later, following another Sea Gull score, Christopher Newport wrapped up the game with a nice series. After Slough stoned a point-blank rocket to quiet a Salisbury surge, Johnson picked up the loose ball and cleared the zone.

With time running down, Lane tossed a nice feed to Geist, who capped off the scoring with a rocket just before the horn sounded.

Overall, Salisbury out-shot CNU, 31-26, and held a slim 14-13 edge in ground balls. The Sea Gulls also secured a game-high 15 draw controls, while Ashton Wheatley notched eight saves in goal.

Christopher Newport will now have the next two weeks off before the first round of the NCAA Tournament begins on May 8. The Captains, who earned an automatic berth with their USA South title last weekend, will find out their postseason schedule when the bracket is released on May 5.

---CNU---