NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Six different Captains posted at least two goals as the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team used a well-balanced attack to storm past Virginia Wesleyan, 17-4, in a non-conference showdown on a water-logged Wednesday evening at Captains Turf Field.

During the contest, Erin Callahan led all players with six points, including four goals. Meaghan Galvin also registered a hat-trick for CNU, while Lindsay Weaver, Kylie Chaplin, Caitlin King, and Catie Chess all notched two goals apiece. Galvin also contributed a game-high eight draw controls for the Captains.

On the defensive end, Tess D'Arcy forced two turnovers and scooped up three ground balls. Sam Puglisi also added four ground balls, while Hanna Slough made five saves to earn the victory.

With the win, the Captains even their record at 3-3. The setback drops Virginia Wesleyan to 3-2.

From the outset, Galvin established the tone with a gorgeous goal to open the scoring. Playing a man down after an early penalty, the Captains overcame their shortcomings with a quick strike. Galvin took a feed and made a quick cutback to shake her defender. With some freedom, she fired a rope to open the scoring in the 10th minute of action.

Less than a minute later, Chess stormed in and converted a feed from Weaver before Galvin made another ankle-breaking move to spin her defender and tack on her second goal. With the offense opening up a quick 3-0 lead, the defense also did some solid work. At the 19-minute mark, Puglisi brought the hammer down on the Marlins and swatted the ball out of the air to force a turnover to jumpstart another offensive surge.

During a one-minute window, Callahan and Carly Wilson both struck on free-position attempts to push the lead to 5-0. Later, after Slough stepped up with two huge stops to clamp down on a minor Marlin run, the CNU attack found the back of the net again. This time, Chaplin sent a looping pass over the defense to Weaver, who settled in on the far side of the field and drove home the squad's sixth goal.

Although Virginia Wesleyan was able to respond at the tail end of the first half with a pair of goals, the Captains never lost their footing. Looking to pull away early in the second stanza, the hosts strung together five straight scores. King and Weaver opened the onslaught with two straight darts in the first four minutes of the period before Callahan added back-to-back strikes to snatch a 10-2 lead. Just over a minute later, Galvin ducked under her defender and spun a submarine shot into the far corner of the cage to snatch a nine-goal lead with 19 minutes remaining.

Although the Marlins momentarily broke the surge with a goal of their own, King responded with a sensational series. First, the freshman used a textbook pass off a free-position attempt to set up a goal by Chess. One minute later, she earned another eight-meter shot and converted with an absolute rocket that gave the hosts a 13-3 lead.

With work left to do, Chaplin stung the Marlins with two straight strikes, including one off a heads-up play. The junior had an initial shot stymied by the defense, but she remained vigilant and scooped up the roller before blistering home her second straight goal.

Although the Marlins added one last score with eight minutes remaining, the Captains eased into the victory. Fittingly, Callahan put the perfect punctuation mark on her impressive night. First, she slipped a pass through a congested defense to Colleen Bourgal, who punched home her first goal from the doorstep. Four minutes later, Callahan took a feed from Wilson and added her fourth score to wrap up the 17-4 victory.

Along with the offensive stars, Caitlin Osbourne and Mariah Ginebra both forced a pair of turnovers to help anchor the back line. Weaver and Chess also caused two miscues for the Captains.

Overall, CNU held a commanding 46-11 edge in shots and a 24-17 lead in ground balls. The Captains also controlled 17 of the game's 23 draws.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad hosts Wesley in the Capital Athletic Conference opener at 1 p.m.

---CNU---