VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Four Captains registered hat-tricks, including a career-high four goals by Lindsay Weaver, as the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team capitalized on an explosive offensive attack to topple Virginia Wesleyan, 18-8, during a non-conference battle on Wednesday afternoon at Birdsong Field.
 
Along with her four goals, Weaver stuffed the stat sheet with two caused turnovers and a pair of ground balls. Meanwhile, Meaghan Galvin added six points and eight draw controls, and freshmen Sarah Culver and Julia Golden contributed three goals apiece as well. Overall, eight different Captains tallied at least one goal against the Marlins.
 
On the defensive end, Tess D'Arcy cleaned up with six ground balls, equaling the most by a Captain in a single game since the 2013 campaign. Emma Walsh also earned the win after making four saves against Virginia Wesleyan, while Hanna Slough contributed four stops as well after taking over in goal in the second half.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport extends its winning streak to three straight and improves to 4-1 overall. The setback drops VWC to 0-4 on the year.
 
From the start, the Captains jumped on the Marlins. Weaver was at the forefront of the attack as the junior drove home two of the squad's first three goals, while Culver added one after bullying her way through a cluttered zone to find some daylight. Just as ruthless on the defensive end, Walsh stoned a free-position attempt by the hosts before Kirsten Mendelsohn tied up a VWC midfielder on a clear attempt to regain possession a few minutes later.
 
Continuing to run, Catie Chess tacked on the squad's fourth goal after corralling a feed from Galvin before burning the defense with a quick shot. Shortly thereafter, the Captains continued to torment the Marlins on clears. Although the Virginia Wesleyan defense was able to clamp down on a few streaks by CNU, the hosts were unable to keep possession as Christopher Newport blanketed the field and prevented five straight clearing attempts during the middle of the first stanza.
 
With the Captains continuing to retain possession, the visitors stretched their lead. Weaver caused a turnover on a clearing attempt, grabbed the ground ball, and converted on a free-position attempt after a foul by the Marlins. Four minutes later, Golden spun off her defender and slammed home another goal to take a 6-2 edge.
 
Looking for a little more breathing room, Galvin put on a show. First, Corbyn Hale caused a turnover and scooped up the loose ball before Galvin took control and scored on a sprint towards the crease. Moments later, after winning the draw, she returned to the attacking zone. Facing three defenders, Galvin beat them all as she split a pair at the top of the arc before sprinting right past a third on the way to her second straight strike with nine minutes left in the half.
 
Staring at an 8-2 deficit, Virginia Wesleyan momentarily pulled back within five, but Christopher Newport landed the final two blows of the half. First, Culver planted and cut around a defender to open up free spaces before driving home her second goal of the half. Less than a minute later, with time running out in the first period, Colleen Bourgal pieced together a solid catch and run as the second-year standout cut up the middle of the defense before unleashing a dagger to the back of the net to nail down a 10-3 lead entering the break.
 
After halftime, the Captains continued to pull away. Galvin made the hosts pay for a yellow card with a fast man-up tally before Golden fired a free-position bullet. Three minutes later, the two stars teamed up for another goal as Galvin found Golden streaking through the defense on the way to her second straight strike. Kylie Chaplin also joined the fun as the senior battled through contact and snapped off a low rocket with a defender in her face to snatch a 14-5 advantage in the 37th minute of action.
 
Taking a slew of shots from the high-powered CNU attack, the Marlins orchestrated a response. Eventually, the hosts strung together back-to-back goals in just over 13 seconds to pull within seven. Needing to quiet the Marlins, Christopher Newport stepped up on the defensive end once again. Mariah Ginebra suffocated an attacker before forcing a turnover to end one threat. Later, Slough stoned a free-position attempt before the Captains were hit with a yellow card. Facing a short-handed situation, Chaplin caused a miscue and grabbed a roller to cut crucial time off the clock before Chess forced another turnover to run out the penalty.
 
After showing off her defensive chops, Chess tacked on her second goal of the contest off a feed from Galvin, which quickly reignited the CNU attack. Shortly thereafter, with 11 minutes remaining in regulation, Weaver capped off her afternoon by spinning a laser through the VWC goalie to nail down a 16-7 lead.
 
With more than enough cushion, the Captains eased into the victory with two final highlight-reel goals. First, Carly Wilson secured a pass just behind the net. Looking to take care of business by herself, she curled around the left post, circled the crease, and whipped a bullet into the back of the cage to earn a running clock with a double-digit edge. Moments later, Culver left her defender in the dust with a phenomenal spin move before completing her third hat-trick of the season with a rocket on the run to help close out the 18-8 triumph.
 
Overall, CNU held a 36-24 advantage in shots and a 22-19 lead in ground balls. The Captains also did sensational work to limit the Marlins to just nine successful clears in 25 opportunities. Weaver, Chess, and Culver all forced two turnovers to help frustrate the opposition, while seven other players caused one.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the Captains kick off Capital Athletic Conference play with a 1 p.m. battle against Wesley in Dover, Delaware.
 
---CNU---