WINCHESTER, Va. -- Four Captains registered hat-tricks, including a seven-point outburst by Meaghan Galvin, as the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team kicked off the 2016 campaign in fine fashion with an 18-9 victory over Shenandoah in a non-conference battle on Saturday afternoon.
 
Picking up right where she left off last year, Galvin paced the attack with five goals and a pair of assists. Catie Chess also added four goals for the Captains, while Kylie Chaplin contributed three to help anchor the team's veteran contingent.
 
Meanwhile, Sarah Culver pieced together an incredible debut as the first-year standout added five points, including four goals. With that performance, she became just the second freshman in program history to register at least four goals in her collegiate debut. Elaine Kirby also accomplished the feat after tallying five in the 2002 season opener.
 
On the defensive end, Emma Walsh anchored the team between the pipes as the freshman made 13 saves to earn the victory. Tess D'Arcy also forced a turnover and scooped up a pair of ground balls, while Galvin posted a game-high seven draw controls.
 
The victory gave Lisa Valentine her first win as the head coach at CNU. The loss dropped SU to 0-2 on the season.
 
Although Shenandoah was able to open the scoring early in the first half, Christopher Newport shot back with a relentless assault. In just over seven minutes of action, the Captains tossed six straight goals on the board. Culver found her groove early with three quick tallies, while Chess added a pair. Chaplin also delivered a strike off a feed from Galvin to help snatch the 6-1 advantage.
 
Although the two teams traded the next four goals, including a pair of darts by Galvin, the Captains remained in control. Walsh stabilized the defensive end with three saves, including a huge stop off a free-position attempt. Chess also chipped in with her third goal before Shenandoah inched a little closer with back-to-back tallies, which pulled the hosts within four with six minutes remaining in the opening half.
 
Looking to steal back some momentum before the break, Corbyn Hale had a great run to clear the defensive zone before the offense set up shop. Shortly thereafter, Galvin curled around a defender at the top of the arc before unleashing a rocket to give the visitors a 10-5 edge.
 
Hoping for a little more breathing room, Chaplin capped off the first half in style. In the waning moments of the period, the senior took control of the ball behind the crease, cut around the near post, and dropped in a strike from the doorstep to lock down an 11-5 edge entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the CNU attack hit the ground running in the second stanza. Galvin kicked off the surge with her fourth goal of the game before adding an assist with a perfectly-placed pass to Sam Puglisi, who ran by a defender and drove home her first strike of the season.
 
Holding a 13-5 lead, CNU flashed some defense to keep the Hornets at bay. Kirsten Mendelsohn forced a turnover before D'Arcy stormed up the field to complete the clear. Later, after Shenandoah regained possession, Chess and Lindsay Weaver collapsed on an SU midfielder and cut off a run along the near sideline to stymie the opposition.
 
Although Shenandoah was eventually able to tack on a sixth goal, the CNU defense continued to shine. After a yellow card on the Captains, Meghan O'Reilly won a battle for a loose ball and sprinted into the CNU end to help kill off the penalty. Later, Walsh made a point-blank save and Hunter Van Reenan disrupted a free-position attempt to continue frustrating the opposition.
 
Once again, the Hornets were eventually able to find a sliver of daylight and cut their deficit down to 13-7, but the Captains had a response. Christopher Newport showed incredible grit on the next two goals to slowly put the game away.
 
First, Culver ran through the zone and took a high hit while battling through contact. Earning a free-position attempt, she quickly capitalized with a dagger to regain a seven-goal edge. Moments later, Chaplin also fought through a tough hit at the top of the arc and managed to keep her footing before rifling a shot to the back of the net.
 
Just over 60 seconds later, Sasha Towne converted her own free-position attempt to snare a 16-7 lead with 13 minutes remaining.
 
Continuing to dominate in goal, Walsh made three saves, including a pair of stops on eight-meter shots, to keep the Hornets quiet. Although Shenandoah was able to toss two late goals on the board, the Captains matched them down the stretch. Galvin capped off her five-goal outburst with a bullet just under the crossbar before Chess scored off a feed from Julia Golden to close out the 18-9 triumph.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 37-29 edge in shots and controlled 18 of the game's 31 draws. Along with Galvin's seven draw controls, Culver posted six and Chess notched three.
 
The Captains will return to action on February 27 when the squad opens up its home slate with a 1 p.m. battle against Washington (Md.).
 
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