NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 15th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team wrapped up the regular season with a 10-5 setback against 16h-ranked York (Pa.) during a Capital Athletic Conference bout on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
On Senior Day, Kylie Chaplin pieced together a solid effort as the fourth-year standout posted a pair of goals, including her 150th career point. She also became just the third player in CNU history to register tallies during a man-up advantage and a shorthanded situation in the same game.
 
Along with Chaplin, fellow senior Sam Puglisi collected a team-high four ground balls and caused a turnover, while Tess D'Arcy forced three miscues. Mariah Ginebra also caused a pair of turnovers and corralled three ground balls against the Spartans.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 11-4 on the season, including 5-3 in the CAC. York (Pa.) now sits at 11-5 overall with an identical 5-3 mark in league action. As a result of the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Spartans will now host the Captains in the first round of the conference playoffs on Wednesday. York will enter the postseason as the No. 4 seed, while CNU stands as the No. 5 seed.
 
In a fitting display on Senior Day, the squad's veterans stepped up with a nice defensive run early in the game. Hanna Slough earned the start and made a tremendous stop on a pointblank dart to cut down one rally, while Puglisi jumped all over a loose ball following a free-position attempt to end another threat.
 
Shortly thereafter, Kirsten Mendelsohn joined the fun as she teamed up with Corbyn Hale to swallow up an attacker who slipped free on the interior before Puglisi rode another Spartan around the crease to clamp down on a deep YCP surge.
 
Although York was able to open the scoring first after finding a brief window, the Captains retaliated. First, Lindsay Weaver blistered the back of the net with a low liner on a free-position attempt to even the score at one. Minutes later, Meaghan Galvin found herself staring at a wall of defenders along the far post. Refusing to back down, she spun a Spartan with a tremendous cut before firing a rocket over the defense to snatch a 2-1 lead with 19 minutes remaining in the opening period.
 
Unfortunately, the Spartans battled back and began chipping away at CNU's advantage. Although Emma Walsh made two late stops and both Ginebra and D'Arcy forced turnovers, the visitors were able to wrap up the first period on a three-goal run to grab a 4-2 edge entering the break.
 
After halftime, Walsh picked up where she left off with a spectacular save from her knees after a Spartan rolled free along the far post. Moments later, Catie Chess snapped off back-to-back shots, including a free-position bullet, but both were turned aside by YCP's goalie.
 
After the defensive stand, York went to work on the other side of the field. The Spartans drove home two straight goals to push their lead to four before Chaplin ripped her first strike during a shorthanded situation to pull back within three at 6-3.
 
Later, Maria Gianelle sniped an eight-meter goal before Chaplin added her second laser, but the Spartans never seemed to lose momentum and responded after each strike. Despite another pointblank save by Walsh and a sustained defensive stand that kept the visitors quiet for a seven-minute stretch late in the period, York was able to tack on a little insurance at the end of regulation to lock up the 10-5 triumph.
 
Overall, York held a 29-15 edge in shots and a 16-12 lead in ground balls. The Spartans also controlled nine of the contest's 17 draws. Galvin chipped in with a game-high five draw controls for the Captains.
 
---CNU---