NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team fell behind early and could not quite catch up to the 16th-ranked Mary Washington Eagles as CNU dropped a hard-fought 9-6 decision on a sunny Wednesday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
During the contest, Meaghan Galvin led the Captains with four points, including three assists. She also collected a game-high seven draw controls. Meanwhile, Catie Chess was a force on both sides of the field as she contributed two goals and caused three turnovers. Julia Golden also forced a pair of miscues and Kaitlyn Ready added seven saves, but it was not enough to stifle the Eagle attack.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 8-4 on the season, including 2-1 in the Capital Athletic Conference. The victory bumps Mary Washington to 8-4 with a 2-2 ledger in league tilts.
 
Although Mary Washington managed to score the first four goals of the game, the Captains did solid work to keep them within striking distance. The Eagles earned a slew of free-position attempts in the early going, but Ready stoned the first before Lindsay Weaver stormed in to disrupt the second. Later, in the middle of the opening period, Ready plucked another eight-meter shot out of the sky to keep the host's deficit at four.
 
Needing to capitalize on the defensive work, Christopher Newport picked up steam on the offensive end. With 10 minutes left in the first half, the Captains peppered the Eagles with a rapid-fire assault. Although initial attempts by Weaver and Sarah Culver were brushed aside, Galvin took possession behind the crease and dished across the zone to Chess. Motoring towards the goal, she grabbed the feed and sniped a bullet on the run to put CNU on the board.
 
With a little momentum, the Captains quickly tacked on their second strike just over a minute later. After Galvin secured the ensuing draw, CNU charged into the attacking zone. Once again, Galvin served as the facilitator as the senior dished to Culver, who shrugged off a bruising hit on the interior to cut the squad's deficit down to two at 4-2.
 
Although Mary Washington managed to sneak in another goal just before halftime, the Captains regrouped in the break and pieced together a solid effort in the second stanza. First, on the defensive side, Ready snagged another save before Golden stood tall and helped force an errant pass to help kill off a man-down situation. Later, Samantha Wettengel cut off a rollback attempt by a UMW attacker and Chess snatched a pass out of the air to clamp down on another Eagle surge.
 
Still battling, Ready went down to stone a low rocket off a free-position attempt, and Mackenzie Regen caused a turnover to help silence a sustained Mary Washington run.
 
Following the defensive showcase, Chess came through on the other end to whittle the deficit back down to two with an eight-meter missile.
 
Unfortunately, Mary Washington battled back. The Eagles put two straight goals on the board and nearly had another, but Ready closed off the left pipe after a breakaway opportunity following a clean victory by UMW on the draw.
 
Staring at a 7-3 deficit with 15 minutes left, Christopher Newport settled in and showed impressive resolve. Shortly after Mary Washington's seventh goal, Galvin retaliated. Taking possession behind the crease, she curled under a defender, wrapped around the left pipe, and jammed home her first goal from close range to pull CNU within three.
 
Looking to secure more momentum, the Captains drew another yellow card but were unfazed by the shorthanded situation. First, Chess bodied up a midfielder and eventually forced her out-of-bounds to regain possession. Moments later, Erin Callahan floated a gorgeous rainbow overtop of the UMW defense to Carly Wilson. On the other side, the junior took control and slammed one home from deep inside the zone to pull back within two at 7-5.
 
Needing to keep the intensity high, Chess drove another Eagle out-of-bounds to cut off a clear attempt, and Mariah Ginebra pounced on a ground ball following a UMW turnover to continue the comeback bid. Unfortunately, the offense could not quite capitalize before Mary Washington tacked on two late goals to push the advantage to 9-5 with only two minutes remaining.
 
Refusing to back down, the defense swallowed up a free-position attempt by the Eagles before Jordan Hayes came away with the loose ball. With another opportunity, Galvin found Wettengel on the other side of the field for the game's final tally with 42 seconds left.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Mary Washington, 22-19, and held a slim 14-13 edge in ground balls. The Captains also controlled 12 of the game's 17 draws, but UMW's defense held up to earn the victory.
 
CNU will return to action on Saturday when the squad hosts Frostburg State at 1 p.m. Prior to the game, the Captains will hold their annual Senior Day ceremony.
 
---CNU---