WINCHESTER, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back as the Captains stormed past Shenandoah, 15-10, during a non-conference battle on Tuesday evening at Sprint Field.

Scoring the game's first four goals, the Captains found their groove early. Sarah Culver led the attack with five strikes, including two during the squad's initial assault. Colleen Bourgal also contributed four tallies during the game, while freshmen Gracie Sanders and Catherine Leighty contributed two apiece. Leighty collected a game-high six draw controls as well.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Kaitlyn Ready made 11 saves, including four on free-position shots. The Captains also tormented Shenandoah on clear attempts all day long, forcing seven failed tries.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 2-1 on the season. The setback drops Shenandoah to 1-2.

Right out of the gate, Ready was tested between the pipes by SU. Just over a minute into the game, the hosts earned a free-position attempt, but Ready snagged the low liner before Caroline Kurtz helped clear the zone. On the other side of the field, the offense took control and made quick work of the Shenandoah defense.

After moving the ball around the arc, Culver grabbed possession with a one-on-one match-up. Liking those odds, the junior cut hard to her right, freed up a little space, and cruised towards the crease before burying the game's first goal.

With a 1-0 edge, the CNU defense looked sharp again. First, Kurtz and Tess D'Arcy put pressure on an SU clear attempt to force a turnover. Later, after the hosts managed to work the ball down into their offensive zone, Ready made another stop before Mackenzie Regen initiated a successful clear that gave the ball back to the Christopher Newport attack.

Unloading on the Hornets, Carly Wilson connected with Sanders, who caught the ball and fired in one smooth motion to push the lead to 2-0. Moments later, after Culver earned a free-position attempt, the junior opted to pull the ball out before feeding it to Samantha Wettengel. After grabbing possession, the sophomore lofted a pass over the defense to Bourgal, who punched home the squad's third goal before Shenandoah whistled for a timeout.

Unfazed by the stoppage, CNU went right back to work. Following another failed clear by the hosts, Bourgal pounced on the loose ball near midfield and scorched a path towards the crease. With Culver running stride-for-stride, Bourgal connected with her teammate, who blew right past the defense and unloaded on the doorstep for a 4-0 advantage.

Although Shenandoah retaliated with back-to-back strikes, the Captains never lost their rhythm. In the 17th minute of action, the SU defense was caught looking at Bourgal on the near side. With some space to work, Leighty slipped in through the back, secured a pass, and drove home a dagger to push the lead back to three at 5-2.

Following another goal by the Hornets, the Captains stepped up on the defensive end with a crucial stop. The hosts burst up the field looking to inch within one. With numbers on their side, the Hornets pounded away near the crease. Holding her own, Ready made a tremendous save to keep SU off the board before Julia Golden secured the loose ball. Flipping the field, CNU quickly countered as the visitors cruised in the opposite direction before Wilson scooped up a roller and capitalized on the other end to snatch a 6-3 edge.

Continuing to stretch the lead, Christopher Newport found some openings on the inside. With 10 minutes left in the first half, Bourgal caught a feed from Wilson near the crease. With her back towards the goal and a defender on her hip, she simply spun and whistled home her second goal. Less than a minute later, Leighty caught a pass while stationed along the right pipe. With one Hornet to beat, she moved in, hesitated for a second, faked a shot, and added her second strike for an 8-3 edge.

With the offense doing its job, the defense was just as reliable. Ready made another sensational save on a pointblank attempt before battling through a scrum to secure the loose ball. Later, D'Arcy jumped a passing lane to thwart an SU clear attempt before Wilson picked off another try a few minutes later.

Although Shenandoah eventually managed to toss its fourth goal on the board with four minutes left in the opening period, CNU quickly answered. Capping off the half in style, Wilson found herself isolated one-on-one with a defender along the arc. Showing impressive athleticism, she elevated, took a hit, and still slipped a pinpoint pass to Bourgal, who caught it in space and landed her third blow for a 9-4 advantage.

After halftime, SU opened the second-half scoring before Christopher Newport responded from the eight-meter arc. Sanders and Culver both struck on free-position attempts in the early part of the new stanza to push CNU's lead to 11-5.

Refusing to back down, the Hornets added two straight scores of their own to inch back within eight midway through the second half. Unimpressed by the resurgence, the Captains had an answer. First, Bourgal ran a successful give-and-go after earning a restart near the top of the arc. Teaming with Culver, Bourgal flipped it over to her teammate before securing the return feed on the way to her fourth goal. Just over a minute later, Culver was fouled while weaving through the defense before depositing another eight-meter missile to secure a 13-7 advantage.

Still punishing the Shenandoah defense, D'Arcy capitalized on another perfect pass by Wilson before Culver shook a defender with a gorgeous spin move to grab a 15-8 edge with eight minutes remaining.

With more than enough cushion, the defense closed out the contest. Ready made stops on back-to-back SU possessions. Later, with Shenandoah trying to score quickly, Regen cut off a pair of runs and forced an errant pass to momentarily halt a surge. Ready also walled off another free-position attempt before the Hornets finally managed to find an opening.

Controlling the tempo and the scoreboard, CNU eased towards the victory. Jordan Hayes won the ensuing draw after popping the ball to herself in the final minutes. Ready also stoned another eight-minute shot, while Golden and Corbyn Hale did outstanding work on a late clear attempt to help lock up the five-goal triumph.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 31-26 advantage in shots, while SU had a slim 14-13 edge in ground balls. The largest statistical advantage came on draws as CNU secured 16 of the 26 battles. Along with Leighty's six draw controls, Hayes contributed four.

CNU will return to action on Saturday when the team hosts No. 15 Catholic at 3 p.m.

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