Box Score ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Ashton Marshall scored four goals and the defense pieced together a stifling effort as the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team took down St. Mary's, 9-8, in the first round of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday afternoon at Seahawks Stadium.
Marshall posted her seventh straight multi-goal effort after scoring four times against St. Mary's.
Erin Callahan also added a pair of goals, while
Jessica Singer chipped in with two points to help balance out the offense. On the other side,
Hanna Slough led the defense with 11 saves, and
Emily Johnson and
Caitlin Osbourne each forced a pair of turnovers to help silence the SMC attack.
With the victory, the Captains improve to 10-7 on the year and advance to the semifinals of the CAC Tournament. CNU will head to Salisbury on Sunday.
The setback drops St. Mary's to 8-9 on the year.
Although the Seahawks got off to a strong start on Tuesday and scored two of the first three goals, Christopher Newport remained calm and battled back. After
Lindsay Weaver opened the scoring for CNU off an assist by
Rachel Wall, the Captains grabbed the lead following an impressive onslaught over the last half of the opening stanza.
Trailing by one, Callahan evened the game at two following a bullet off a free-position attempt at the 13-minute mark. Just over 30 seconds later,
Kylie Chaplin gave the squad its first lead. The sophomore controlled the ensuing draw, raced into the zone, and eventually drove home her 31st goal of the year to give the visitors a 3-2 edge.
Following a nice defensive stand, which included caused turnovers by Osbourne and Johnson, the Captains tacked on two more goals just before halftime. Marshall pushed the lead to two off an assist by Singer before adding her second score less than three minutes later after slipping free up the middle for a fast-break tally.
After halftime, Christopher Newport continued to roll. Five minutes into the second half, Marshall struck again. This time, the senior scooted across the face of the goal before Callahan hit her in stride with a perfectly-placed pass. With some room to work on the doorstep, Marshall scored for the third time to give the team a four-goal cushion at 6-2.
Only minutes later, Callahan came back for more. After putting her passing skills on display, the freshman showed off her shooting precision. From the far side of the zone, she blistered a one-timer that tucked right under the bar and gave CNU a five-goal edge with 23 minutes remaining.
With the game slipping away, St. Mary's fought back. The hosts found their rhythm and collected four straight goals during a seven-minute window, which pulled the Seahawks back within one at 7-6.
Needing to steal back the momentum, the Captains whistled for a timeout and regrouped in the stoppage. First, the defense clamped down as Slough stoned a free-position attempt before
Mariah Ginebra forced a turnover and scooped up the loose ball. With possession, Marshall spun a defender at the top of the arc, ran free, and unloaded her fourth goal from the far side post to secure a two-goal edge at 8-6.
Although St. Mary's responded one minute later, Singer landed a counterpunch with her 37th goal off an assist by
Meaghan Galvin. After that point, the defense settled in. Protecting a two-goal lead, Slough made two late saves to seal the victory before the Seahawks came through with a last-second score to cap off the contest.
Overall, St. Mary's out-shot the Captains, 31-19, and held a slim 18-15 lead in ground balls. CNU controlled 10 of the game's 19 draws, including three apiece by Galvin and Chaplin.
Sam Puglisi also had two draw controls for Christopher Newport.
---CNU---
