ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Despite a 10-point showcase by Meaghan Galvin, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team dropped a tight 16-15 decision to St. Mary's (Md.) during a Capital Athletic Conference contest on Wednesday afternoon at Seahawk Stadium.
                              
During the game, Galvin paced the Captains with six goals and four assists. Her 10 total points equaled her career-high and matched the sixth-highest single-game total in program history. Catie Chess and Sarah Culver also registered hat-tricks for CNU, but St. Mary's was able to erase a two-goal deficit late in the second half to steal the victory.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 10-6 on the season, including 4-3 in league action. The win moves St. Mary's (Md.) to 8-8 overall and 4-3 in CAC play.
 
Setting the tone early, the Seahawks raced out to a fast lead as the hosts strung together three straight goals in the first three minutes of action. Needing to stymie the early surge, Kaitlyn Ready stoned SMC's next shot before the Captains cleared the zone and went to work on the offensive end.
 
Following the save, Galvin kicked off her afternoon with a crisp pass to Samantha Wettengel, who jammed home the squad's first goal. Although St. Mary's was able to respond a few minutes later, Christopher Newport picked up back-to-back free-position strikes from Galvin and Culver to inch back within one midway through the first half.
 
After another goal by the Seahawks, Chess carried the squad and pulled CNU even at five. First, the junior juggernaut capitalized on a feed from Galvin before adding an eight-meter dart during a man-up situation to even things with 12 minutes left in the first half.
 
Continuing the seesaw affair, St. Mary's retaliated with three straight goals before Christopher Newport landed a counter-punch to close out the opening period. Galvin kicked off the late surge with another eight-meter missile before Jordan Hayes capped off a lengthy defensive stand with a caused turnover to give the attack another opportunity.
 
With possession, Galvin shrugged off another hit, earned a free-position shot, and sank her third goal from the arc to pull the squad within one at 8-7. With a little more work left to be done, Mackenzie Regen pounced on a ground ball with less than a minute left in the period before Carly Wilson found Galvin, who tied the score at eight with another screamer just before halftime.
 
Trading blows, St. Mary's came out early in the second half and tossed two quick goals on the board to retake the lead before CNU answered with a lethal assault during a minute-long blitz. Colleen Bourgal opened the surge with help from Galvin before adding an assist on a strike by Culver. Meanwhile, Chess took advantage of a feed from Wilson on the way to an 11-10 edge with 22 minutes left in regulation.
 
Continuing to battle, the Seahawks responded, Galvin added her fifth, and SMC shot back again on the way to a 12-12 tie.
 
Settling in for a back-and-forth battle over the final 13 minutes, Bourgal and Culver sunk two straight goals to give the Captains a momentary edge before St. Mary's added their second three-goal surge of the contest to inch ahead, 15-14, with six minutes remaining.
 
Refusing to back down, Bailey Lien made a huge stop on St. Mary's next surge to keep the Seahawks within reach before the offense took over. Fittingly, Galvin added the squad's final highlight off a feed from Wilson to even the score at 15.
 
Unfortunately, with only two minutes left on the clock, SMC managed to snatch the ensuing draw and settled in on the offensive side. Waiting to find an opening, the Seahawks finally discovered a sliver of daylight with just a few ticks left on the clock to steal the one-goal victory.
 
Overall, St. Mary's (Md.) held a 34-31 advantage in shots and an 18-16 lead in ground balls. Chess led the squad with five rollers, while Wettengel added three. The hosts also edged CNU in draw controls, 17-16, despite five from Galvin and four by Hayes.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the Captains host No. 7 York (Pa.) in the regular season finale at 2 p.m.
 
---CNU---