NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Going toe-to-toe with No. 13 Salisbury, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team gave the Sea Gulls all that they could handle as CNU held a halftime lead and earned a two-goal cushion early in the second half, but SU managed to battle back and hang on for a hard-fought 14-12 victory on a cloud-covered Wednesday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
Headlining the squad's gutsy effort, Sarah Culver erupted for six goals, including back-to-back strikes late in the second half which gave the squad new life with three minutes remaining in regulation. Meanwhile, Catie Chess chipped in with a hat-trick, and Meaghan Galvin stuffed the stat sheet with seven draw controls, two goals, and an assist.
 
With her seven draws on Wednesday, Galvin established a new single-season program record with 89 draw controls, topping her own mark of 82 set last season. She now owns the program's top-three single-season draw totals and also holds CNU's career and single-game marks as well.
 
Along with the offensive standouts, Kaitlyn Ready contributed nine saves, while Chess and Mackenzie Regen both forced two turnovers apiece. Claire Chadwick also helped blanket the field while scooping up a team-high three ground balls.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 9-5 on the season, including 3-2 in league action. Salisbury improves to 10-3 overall and 6-0 in CAC play. The victory also marks SU's 100th consecutive conference win dating back to 2004. That run stands as the longest streak in the history of the NCAA.
 
Although the Sea Gulls managed to pull out the victory, the Captains were their equals on Wednesday. From the very beginning, CNU stood tall against the nationally-ranked squad. First, on the defensive side, Ready stoned two early shots, including a quick turnaround dart following a lengthy offensive stand by SU. Chadwick also chased down a streaking attacker following a fast restart to deflect a shot and end another threat.
 
Following the defensive work, the hosts struck on the other side. After settling in, Galvin drew the defense's attention on the near side of the field. With several Sea Gulls in her face, she flipped a feed to Chess, who caught it while storming towards the cage for the game's first goal in the eighth minute of action.
 
Stunned by the early strike, Salisbury attempted to answer, but Regen quickly put a stop to the response as she bodied up a Sea Gull and helped force an errant pass, which she pounced on before flipping the field.
 
Capitalizing on the other side, Culver put on a show. Taking care of the Sea Gulls by herself, she sliced through the defense before unleashing a dagger from the doorstep to snatch a two-goal lead. Later, after SU managed to retaliate, Culver fired right back as she cut around a defender at the top of the zone and flew right through the visitors again for her second goal and a 3-1 lead.
 
Refusing to lose the momentum, Mariah Ginebra snared the ensuing draw before Galvin put on a clinic along the left pipe. After the senior gained possession behind the crease, she burst to the far side to shake her defender before breaking back to curl around the near post for an open look. One-on-one with the goalie, she showed off her stick skills, faking high before unleashing a submarine shot while toeing the crease to snatch a 4-1 advantage.
 
Following a Salisbury timeout, the Captains continued to frustrate the visitors on both sides of the field. Ready plucked a low liner off the turf to stop a quick shot by SU before Chess pieced together a great ride and eliminated a pair of cutback opportunities at the top of the zone. Julia Golden also stood in the face of an attacker and caused a shot to sail high to help end another threat, while Chess struck on the other side with an eight-meter rope to push the lead to four.
 
Unfortunately, the Sea Gulls eventually found their groove. In the span of four minutes, the visitors flashed their firepower and unloaded five straight goals to grab a 6-5 edge.
 
Unfazed, the Captains shot right back. With 16 seconds remaining in the first half, Culver grabbed a ground ball on the near side before muscling her way through the SU defense, brushing aside a horde of defenders on the way to her third strike of the stanza to knot the score at six.
 
With time still remaining, the hosts never relaxed. Galvin pulled down the ensuing draw and fed a rainbow over the Salisbury midfield to Culver. Doing the rest herself, the second-year star burst towards the cage. In a race against the Sea Gulls and the clock, Culver beat both as she snapped back around a defender before unleashing a laser to retake a 7-6 edge heading into halftime.
 
Following the break, Salisbury pulled even again less than a minute into the period before Christopher Newport retaliated. Torching the Sea Gulls from the eight-meter arc, Chess bounced a free-position goal past the SU keeper before Galvin capitalized on her own attempt just minutes later to gain a 9-7 lead.
 
Just as vigilant on the defensive side, Regen was suffocating on the back line, badgering an SU attacker on both sides of the crease to force a pass. Later, Ready stopped a shot, Golden clamped down on another run, and Chess brought the hammer, dropping her stick on a Sea Gull to force a turnover and end the rally.
 
Although Salisbury eventually pulled back within one, the defense continued to stand up against the persistent SU attack. Ready made another save, Jordan Hayes cut off a free-position attempt, and Chess made a beautiful, out-stretched play to bat down a pass before jumping on the roller and clearing the zone.

Sadly, the Sea Gulls never relented. Refusing to back down, the visitors added another rapid-fire assault in the middle of the second stanza to retake a 12-9 lead with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
 
Putting an end to the attack, Ready faced another eight-meter opportunity but walled off the cage before Ginebra grabbed the rebound and cleared the zone. Meanwhile, on the other side, Chess cut the deficit back down to two after finding Samantha Wettengel, who corralled the pass and unleashed a screamer on the run with seven minutes left.
 
Despite back-to-back goals by SU, which gave the visitors a little cushion, Christopher Newport refused to go down quietly. With just over three minutes remaining, Culver ran right around another defender at the top of the zone and jammed home her fifth goal. Seconds later, after Hayes chased down a roller on the ensuing draw, Culver took control and carved up the defense again with her sixth strike to inch back within two.
 
Needing to quiet the CNU comeback bid, Salisbury whistled for a timeout. Following the stoppage, Chess managed to snare the draw after a flip from Hayes, but the Captains were stymied after that. The visitors eventually forced a late turnover, cleared the ball, and ran out the final few minutes to seal the win.
 
Overall, Salisbury held a 31-22 advantage in shots and a 16-14 edge in ground balls. The Sea Gulls also controlled 15 of the 28 draws despite Galvin's solid performance.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad heads to Wesley for a 2 p.m. contest.
 
---CNU---