Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Ashton Marshall posted a team-high 11 points, including the 300th of her career, while Emily Johnson continued to rewrite the program record book with her 82nd caused turnover as the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team used a balanced effort to shut out Southern Virginia, 20-0, on a windy Wednesday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.

During the contest, Marshall posted six goals and five assists against the Knights. With that effort, she became just the third Captain in program history to join the exclusive 300-point club. Meghan Harkey and Kaitlin Quigley are the only other players to accomplish that feat. Marshall now has 310 points in her storied four-year career.

On the defensive end, Johnson forced another turnover during the game, which marked the 82nd of her career. That stands as a new program record, topping the previous mark of 81 set by Monica Evans from 2010-13. Johnson also continues to build upon her single-season record, which now stands at 33.

Not to be overlooked, fellow senior Jessica Singer also had seven points during the game, including five assists. With those five helpers, she now has 50 for her career. Only nine other players have reached that threshold.

In addition to the seniors, Kylie Chaplin contributed six points for CNU, while Erin Callahan had five. On the defensive end, the Captains forced 16 turnovers, including two each by Callahan, Chaplin, Marshall, and Rachel Wall. Hanna Slough and Savanah Cummings teamed up on the shutout and combined for three saves against the Knights.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 9-6 on the season. Southern Virginia, which is in its first year of collegiate competition, falls to 1-11.

Showing lethal precision from the very start of the game, the Captains scored on each of their first 11 shots. During the early onslaught, Singer dominated with a goal and three assists on the way to a 6-0 lead. Marshall and Wall also posted a pair of tallies during the first five minutes, while Callahan struck on a blistering one-timer before Southern Virginia whistled for a timeout.

Following the stoppage, Singer controlled the draw and took the ball into the SVU zone. After Marshall grabbed control behind the net, she curled around the nearside and dished to Callahan, who made a beautiful cut to clear the defense and find endless open spaces. With more than enough room, the freshman tacked on her second goal at the 25-minute mark to push the lead to seven.

Later, following another dart by Marshall, Chaplin had a sensational run. The sophomore standout forced a turnover and picked up a pair of ground balls on the defensive end. Just as successful on the attack, she scored twice and assisted on Callahan's third goal during a tremendous eight-minute surge.

Leading 11-0, the squad slowly eased into halftime. During the waning moments of the first half, Slough made her second save, while Johnson forced her record-breaking turnover with a breathtaking defensive stand along midfield. Katie Gaskin also found her rhythm on both sides of the ball. The freshman secured a draw, caused a turnover, and scored the final goal of the half to give the squad an imposing 12-0 edge entering the break.

In the second stanza, the Captains never broke stride and continued to light up the scoreboard. Following a nice defensive play by Morgan Smith, which resulted in another SVU turnover, the offense went to work. During the first 10 minutes of the half, Singer, Chaplin, and Mashall all posted a goal and an assist. Jessica Kelly also collected a goal after swatting in a loose ball during a melee in front of the net.

Now leading 16-0, Gaskin notched her second score on a man-up situation before the defense pieced together a suffocating stretch over the next seven minutes. During the run, the Captains forced five turnovers and allowed the Knights to successfully clear the ball only twice in six attempts. Chaplin, Callahan, Hannah Herbert, and Kirsten Mendelsohn all caused miscues by SVU before Lindsay Weaver made the defensive play of the game.

With 10 minutes remaining, the Knights had control and attempted to clear their zone. With a little space, the visitors sent a feed to midfield. Despite the high-arcing pass, Weaver disrupted the play. Stationed near midfield, the freshman intercepted the ball cleanly with a leaping, fully-extended grab that stymied another Southern Virginia run and quickly resulted in Marshall's fourth goal of the game.

Later, Weaver showed off her offensive chops with an assist on Marshall's final tally before Corey Eybers capped off the scoring with a rocket at 1:22 to seal the 20-0 victory.

Overall, the Captains held a 28-6 advantage in shots and a 24-15 lead in ground balls. The hosts also controlled 15 of the game's 22 draws.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad hosts York in the regular season finale at 1 p.m. Senior Day festivities will take place prior to the game.

---CNU---