Box Score

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- The 17th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team captured its seventh straight outright USA South regular season championship after finishing undefeated in league play with an impressive 26-1 victory over N.C. Wesleyan on Wednesday afternoon at Scalf Field.

The victory, which moved CNU to 13-1 on the season and 8-0 in the USA South, marked the program's 43rd straight regular season win in league action. That roll marks the second-longest in-conference winning streak in the nation. The setback drops N.C. Wesleyan to 0-12, including an 0-8 mark in conference play.

The regular season championship also stands as the 10th outright or shared title for the Captains since the program was founded in 2001. Moving to the Capital Athletic Conference next year, CNU wraps up its stint in the USA South with an incredible 66-5 all-time regular season league record. The postseason tournament will begin next Friday in Rocky Mount with the top-seeded Captains looking to win their eighth consecutive crown.

During Wednesday's contest, Christopher Newport's young guns put on a spectacular display while helping the team match the single-game program record with 26 goals. First-year standouts Elena Obregon, Kylie Chaplin, and Nina Stinson all posted hat-tricks, while fellow freshmen Shannon Fluharty and Rachel Wall scored as well. Obregon eventually led all scorers, posting a season-best six goals during the game.

Of course, the veteran members of the team were just as disruptive on the offensive end. Lauren King scored four goals and had a pair of assists, Becca Geist added six helpers and a goal, while Ashton Marshall, Kelly Lane, and Jessica Singer each tallied three points as well.

From the outset, Obregon and King took control of the game. The two combined to score the first five goals of the contest, including a pair of darts in the first minute of action. Later, Lane added two goals, Obregon and King each scored again, and Geist, Chaplin, and Stinson came through with their first tallies to push the lead to 12-0 just 14 minutes into regulation.

Following N.C. Wesleyan's first goal at the 11-minute mark, the CNU freshmen absolutely dominated. Wall got things back on track following an assist by Jessica Kelly to retake a 12-goal lead. Later, Chaplin fired another tracer, Stinson scored off of a gorgeous pass by Olivia McMurtrie, and Fluharty rounded out the first-half scoring with a bullet of her own.

Picking up right where they left off in the first half, Stinson and Chaplin kicked off the second period scoring with back-to-back lasers. Shortly thereafter, Obregon came free and added two more scores to cap off her spectacular six-goal surge and push the lead to 20-1. After King got back in the act with her fourth goal, Geist put on a clinic.

During the waning moments of the second half, Geist served as the chief facilitator and set up three straight goals by her teammates. The senior sensation assisted on a score by Rachel Tomlinson to open the streak before feeding a perfect pass to Marshall, who drove home her first tally of the game. Leading 23-1, Geist added her last helper with a perfect dish to Singer at 7:41.

With the victory well in hand, the Captains received some offensive contributions from two of the squad's top defensive players to wrap up the scoring. Senior stalwart Monica Evans came through with her first goal of the year at the six-minute mark before Emily Johnson converted her second tally of the season following a feed from Singer.

In addition to her goal, Johnson finished the game with a team-high three caused turnovers, while Kelly, Morgan Smith, and Kirsten Mendelsohn added two apiece. King led the way with eight draw controls and tied with Johnson and Mendelsohn for the team-lead with three ground balls. Hanna Slough picked up her 13th straight victory in goal for the Captains, while Hannah Wilkerson chipped in with a spotless second half between the pipes.

Overall, CNU out-shot N.C. Wesleyan, 41-1, and held a 23-11 lead in ground balls. The Captains also controlled 24 of the game's 29 draws.

Next up, Christopher Newport will head to Salem, Virginia on Saturday for a 2 p.m. showdown with Roanoke before the USA South Tournament kicks off next week.

---CNU---