VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Sarah Culver scored five goals, while 11 other Captains also found the back of the net as the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team stormed past Virginia Wesleyan, 18-2, during a non-conference battle on Saturday afternoon at Birdsong Field.
 
Leading the charge, Culver scored all five of her goals in the first 10 minutes of action to set the tone early. Meanwhile, Madison Chestnut also contributed three points, including a pair of strikes, while Colleen Bourgal scored twice as well. On the defensive side, Catherine Leighty forced two turnovers, while Tess D'Arcy collected three ground balls to help quiet the Marlins.
 
With the win, Christopher Newport improves to 1-1 on the season. Virginia Wesleyan also sits at 1-1 after the setback.
 
Although the Marlins managed to score first, Culver had an emphatic response. Torching the hosts with a lethal assault, the junior scored three straight goals, including a free-position shot, in less than four minutes of action. Moments later, after Catie Chess controlled the ensuing draw, D'Arcy capitalized on the possession with a dagger of her own to push the lead to 4-1.
 
Blistering the defense, Culver came back with two more goals, while Katie Orrison and Caroline Kurtz joined the fun as well to snatch an 8-1 edge in just the 10th minute of action.
 
After chasing Virginia Wesleyan's starting goalie, the Captains went right to work on the backup. Fourteen seconds after Jordan Hayes scooped up the draw, Bourgal pounded home the squad's ninth goal. Shortly thereafter, Samantha Wettengel and Caitlin King went back-to-back to push the lead to double-digits at 11-1 with 16 minutes remaining in the first half.
 
Although the offense stole the show early, the defense did its job as well. After finding themselves down by 10, the Marlins had an opportunity to pull back within nine, but Kaitlyn Ready walled off the crease and stoned VWU's next shot. Later, Madison Callan forced a turnover to thwart another scoring opportunity before Olivia Aumais collected the loose ball to regain possession.
 
Meanwhile, the attack never lost its rhythm. Gracie Sanders converted a feed from Anna Bowers for her first career goal before Chess sniped one just two minutes later. Finally, Savannah Callan put an end to the first half with a man-up missile in the waning moments to steal a 14-1 lead entering the break.
 
After assisting on the final goal of the first half, Chestnut showed off her scoring touch with a laser to jumpstart the second stanza. Later, the defense continued to stonewall the Marlins as Ready snatched a free-position shot and Chess broke up a clear attempt to keep the ball on the CNU side of the field.
 
With little left to prove, Chestnut and Bourgal came back with their second strikes of the game before Madison Callan converted a feed from Carly Wilson to cap off the offensive festivities.
 
Equally staggering defensively, Ready made two more saves before handing the game off to Jessica Ross. Leighty also came through with a pair of caused turnovers in the final few minutes, while Kurtz forced a miscue as well to help finish off the victory.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 31-8 advantage in shots and controlled 15 of the game's 20 draws. Chess finished with a team-high six draw controls, while D'Arcy added three.
 
The Captains will return to action on February 27 when the squad travels to Winchester, Virginia for a 5 p.m. battle with Shenandoah.
 
---CNU---