Box Score

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Senior Ashton Marshall scored eight goals for the Captains, but the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team could not quite complete its comeback bid as Mary Washington escaped with a 19-18 overtime victory during a Capital Athletic Conference contest on Wednesday afternoon at the Battleground Athletic Complex.

During the contest, Marshall finished with 11 points, which stands as the third-highest single-game total in program history. Her performance also bumped her career goal total to 221, which is just one away from tying the all-time program record held by Kaitlin Quigley.

Along with their senior standout, the Captains received hat-tricks from Meaghan Galvin, Erin Callahan, and Jessica Singer. Galvin also compiled 10 draw controls during the contest, which ranks second on the program's all-time single-game list. Hanna Slough contributed 12 saves as well, marking her fifth double-digit save effort of the season.

Unfortunately, their efforts were not quite enough as Mary Washington benefited from a last-second goal by Emily Atkinson to earn the victory. The win lifts UMW to 8-3 on the season, including 2-1 in league action. The setback drops CNU to 6-5 with a 2-2 mark in conference play.

After the Captains found themselves trailing 16-10 midway through the second half, the squad pieced together an epic comeback. Following a save by Slough, which kept the deficit at six, CNU's freshmen got the ball rolling before Marshall took over. Galvin and Callahan drove home back-to-back bullets to cut UMW's lead down to four with 13 minutes remaining.

Later, Marshall assisted on Singer's third goal of the game to keep the surge going before the senior fell into a groove. Back within three, Marshall came through with three straight scores during an incredible six-minute rally, which knotted the game at 16. Although the Eagles momentarily broke the deadlock, Marshall had a fitting response.

With three minutes remaining, Shannon Fluharty forced a crucial turnover, which gave the Captains another chance. Looking to capitalize, Singer dished across the arc to Marshall, who hammered home her seventh goal of the contest, and fourth in the final 11 minutes, to force overtime.

During the bonus session, Mary Washington controlled the tempo and held the ball after winning the opening draw. Finally, with 26 seconds remaining in the first half of overtime, the Eagles struck on a goal by Corinne Wiederkehr. Needing a quick response, the Captains turned back to their senior. After Callahan secured the ensuing draw, Marshall blistered a one-timer through the UMW defense to retie the game at 18.

Unfortunately, after the teams switched sides, the Eagles got the upper hand. Although CNU was able to gain possession after Mariah Ginebra corralled a loose ball, the squad could not capitalize as Mary Washington's defense brushed aside a shot by Singer. Later, after clearing the ball, UMW called for a timeout with eight seconds remaining.

The break paid dividends as Atkinson found just enough daylight to score right before time expired to seal the victory.

During the contest, CNU held a 38-36 edge in shots, while Mary Washington led the way in ground balls, 25-21. Guided by Galvin's tremendous efforts, the Captains secured 22 of the game's 40 draws.

At the beginning of the contest, the two teams looked evenly matched. After the Eagles scored the first two goals, Galvin and Callahan responded with back-to-back darts. Later, following Marshall's first score, Mary Washington briefly pulled away before CNU landed a bevy of blows.

During a four-minute window, Singer, Callahan, and Kylie Chaplin all found the back of the net to give the visitors their first lead at 6-5. Unfortunately, things quickly went awry after that. The hosts scored five straight times to retake the lead with eight minutes left in the half. After goals by Marshall and Galvin pulled CNU back within two, the Eagles fired back with a pair.

Trailing 12-8 with less than a minute left in the first, Marshall struck again following an assist by Singer before UMW capped off the high-scoring half with one last goal to take a 13-9 advantage.

Following the break, the pace never slowed down. Slough did her best between the pipes, making three saves during a rapid-fire assault. Unfortunately, Mary Washington was undeterred and eventually scored three of the first four goals in the second half to push the lead to 16-10. From there, the Captains showed incredible heart to overcome the deficit and force overtime, but the Eagles had just a little more left to survive the test.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad comes home for a 2 p.m. non-conference battle against Lynchburg.

---CNU---