NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Catie Chess drove home four goals and Meaghan Galvin contributed five points, but the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team suffered its first setback of the year as CNU dropped a 14-11 decision to Washington (Md.) during a non-conference battle on a wintery Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
Chess paced the attack with four goals, including a pair of free-position strikes. The sophomore also added a team-high five draw controls. Meanwhile, Galvin chipped in with four draw controls to go along with her five points, while Colleen Bourgal added a goal and an assist.
 
On the defensive end, Mariah Ginebra forced a pair of turnovers, while Kirsten Mendelsohn caused one and scooped up three ground balls. Emma Walsh and Hanna Slough combined for nine saves between the pipes.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 1-1 on the season. The victory bumps Washington College to 1-0.
 
From the outset, the Captains looked energized. In the first four minutes of play, Chess drove home the game's first two goals, including a gorgeous tally from the top of the arc after burning a defender. Although the Shorewomen came back with their first strike, the Captains responded with solid ball movement to toss their next two goals on the board.
 
First, after Ginebra forced a turnover with a devastating stick-check, Galvin settled in behind the goal and eventually connected with Chess, who secured possession and unleashed another dart to snatch a 3-1 advantage. Four minutes later, Galvin found another cutter as Bourgal worked her way through the WC defense before taking control and firing a one-timer for the squad's fourth goal.
 
Unfortunately, the visitors retaliated. Although Julia Golden slammed home her first career goal with a rocket off a feed from Bourgal, the Shorewomen were undeterred. Eventually, Washington College used a relentless attack to even the score at five with 15 minutes remaining in the opening period.
 
Shaking off the setback, the CNU defense dug in. Tess D'Arcy won a sprint to the ball with 12 minutes remaining to regain possession before clearing the zone with a great run up the near sideline. Later, after the Captains were hit with a yellow card, Kylie Chaplin pieced together a solid ride on an attacker to prevent a shot before Walsh made a sensational save on a breakaway.
 
Although the Shorewomen were eventually able to find some daylight and grab a slim 6-5 edge with six minutes remaining in the half, CNU answered. After Ginebra forced another turnover, Sarah Culver gained possession and stormed down the field. On a dead sprint in the final minute of the first half, the freshman unleashed a screamer on the run to knot the score at six entering halftime.
 
In the second half, Chess picked up right where she left off. Just 30 seconds into the new stanza, she battled through contact and earned a free-position attempt. With a great look, she drove home a dagger to snatch a 7-6 lead.
 
Unfortunately, Washington College responded with a furious rally. The visitors eventually tossed four straight goals on the board to steal a 10-7 edge with 23 minutes remaining.

Looking to steal back some of the momentum, Chaplin tacked on a man-up goal to cut the deficit down to two, but the Shorewomen shot back with two straight tallies in less than a minute to secure a 12-8 advantage.
 
Needing a spark, Galvin burned the WC goalie with a laser off a restart from the top of the arc before the defense came through with a tremendous stand. Corbyn Hale bodied up an attacker to force a pass before Slough came through with a sensational save with 13 minutes left to keep the deficit at three. Shortly thereafter, Galvin cut into the visitors' lead again after curling around a defender at the top of the zone before tacking on her second goal to pull CNU within two at 12-10.
 
Unfortunately, that was as close as the Captains would come to regaining the lead. The two squads traded the next two goals, including an eight-meter strike by Galvin. However, Washington College was able to close out the victory with one final tally to ice the 14-11 win.
 
Overall, the Shorewomen held a 29-25 edge in shots and a 22-14 lead in ground balls. Meanwhile, CNU was able to maintain a slim 14-13 advantage in draw controls. Along with the nine recorded by Chess and Galvin, Culver and Sam Puglisi each added a pair of draw controls as well.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on March 3 with a 2 p.m. showdown against No. 7 Catholic at Captains Turf Field.
 
---CNU---