NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In a comeback for the ages, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team erased a five-goal halftime deficit with an electric effort after the break as CNU rallied past Meredith, 16-15, during an edge-of-your-seat thriller on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.

Headlining the squad's offensive attack, Sarah Culver erupted for six goals and played a starring role during a momentum-turning rally early in the second half. With her six strikes, the junior also became the 13th player in program history to eclipse 100 career goals. She now sits 12th on the all-time list with 103 tallies.

Along with Culver, Colleen Bourgal added six points, including four goals, while Catherine Leighty registered a hat-trick in the second half. The freshman star eventually snapped off the game-winning goal on a free-position attempt with 76 seconds remaining in regulation.

On the defensive side, Kaitlyn Ready came through with her fourth straight double-digit save effort after notching 13 stops against the Avenging Angels. Three of her saves came on eight-meter shots during a suffocating effort in the final eight minutes of the game. Meanwhile, Tess D'Arcy also forced four turnovers and collected three ground balls during the contest.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 3-3 on the season. The setback drops Meredith to 5-3.

Staring  at an 11-6 deficit entering halftime, the Captains never wavered. After regrouping during the break, Culver tossed the team on her back and jump-started a second-half surge. Less than 20 seconds into the period, she grabbed the opening draw, stormed right into the offensive zone, and blasted her fifth goal of the game.

Continuing the assault, she snagged the next draw, blew up the field, and dished to Bourgal, who banged home the squad's eighth goal just nine seconds later.

Still trailing by three, Culver continued to carve up Meredith. The junior immediately grabbed her third straight draw and fed the ball to Carly Wilson. After taking control along the far post, Wilson found Bourgal toeing the crease. In a flash, the senior drove in her second straight goal to pull back within two at 11-9.

Without even a full minute off the clock in the second half, Culver already boasted a goal, assist, and four draw controls in the stanza. Although Meredith was able to stem the tide for a brief moment, the CNU defense found its groove as well. Bourgal and Madison Callan both picked off clearing feeds, while D'Arcy and Gracie Sanders forced miscues to keep the Avenging Angels off the scoreboard.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the attack continued to capitalize. In the 36th minute, Culver broke down a defender with a spin move near the top of the arc before passing the ball to Bourgal. Keeping the defense on its heels, the senior found Julia Golden cutting towards the cage for the squad's 10th goal.

After a timeout, Christopher Newport continued to shine on both sides of the field. The visitors managed to work the ball down into their offensive zone, but Caroline Kurtz stuck on the hip of an attacker and prevented a rollback attempt during a lengthy defensive stand. Moments later, after a yellow card was issued to Meredith, Bourgal found Leighty, who burst across the face of the goal and buried a man-up missile to knot the score at 11.

On even ground for the first time since the third minute of the game, CNU saw the momentum shift momentarily. During an eight-minute window in the middle of the second half, the Avenging Angels regrouped. Although Culver notched her sixth goal of the game during that stretch, the visitors scored four times to steal a 15-12 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the contest.

However, after already erasing a five-goal deficit in the second half, a three-goal shortage seemed like a breeze. 

Less than a minute after Meredith extended its lead to three, Culver grabbed another draw and Leighty torched the net again to inch within two at 15-13. Three minutes later, after D'Arcy forced another turnover to thwart an MC surge, Bourgal converted from close range to pull back within one.

Whistling for a timeout, Meredith tried to steal back some momentum. After securing the ensuing draw, the visitors went to work but ran headfirst into the CNU defense. Jordan Hayes gobbled up an attacker trying to slip free along the near post, while Golden and Mackenzie Regen double-teamed a player at the top of the arc. Moments later, after the ball hit the turf, Hayes bolted in and grabbed the roller. Although the Avenging Angels managed to regain possession, Ready stood tall between the pipes.

During a four-minute window, the sophomore goalkeeper made four straight saves, including three on free-position attempts. On the final eight-meter try with just over four minutes remaining in regulation, Ready met the attacker at the front of the crease and plucked the ball right out of her stick to help flip the field.

Just over a minute after the defensive stand, the Captains pulled even again. Bourgal cleared some space at the top of the zone before finding Sanders on the far side. With some room to work, the freshman moved in and used a bounce shot to catch the defense off-guard on the way to the 15-15 deadlock.

Following the goal, Golden scooped up the draw before Christopher Newport settled in. Coming up huge during the final offensive stand, Caitlin King pounced on a pair of balls that hit the turf to keep possession. Later, Wilson and Sanders peppered shots, but the first was stoned by Meredith's goalie before the second connected with the pipe. Still in control, Leighty gained possession and earned a free-position attempt. Flashing her strength, the freshman dropped down and whipped a laser into the corner of the net to snatch a one-goal edge.

Needing to win the ensuing draw to put the finishing touches on the come-from-behind victory, Culver batted the ball out of the air before Kurtz grabbed control as the Captains ran off the final 76 seconds.

Overall, CNU held a slim 39-38 edge in shots, while Meredith had a 21-20 lead in ground balls. The Avenging Angels also secured 18 of the 33 draws, although Culver finished with a career-high eight for the Captains.

Long before Christopher Newport grabbed the lead in the waning moments of the contest, the squad actually held an early edge just minutes into the contest. Following a great defensive stand to open the game, including tremendous early work by Corbyn Hale and Hannah Curry, Golden went coast-to-coast before finding Sanders, who smashed home the opening goal along the far pipe. Although Culver added the team's second strike off a free-position attempt, Meredith found its footing and ripped off eight goals in the span of 10 minutes to take an 8-2 lead.

After the two squads traded scores, including a dart by Bourgal in traffic, Culver erupted. The junior came through with three straight goals, including a highlight-reel tally that saw her spin a defender in every direction before sniping from the top of the zone. Battling back, the visitors answered with the final two strikes of the first half to steal an 11-6 lead entering the break.

Fortunately, the five-goal deficit was nothing more than the beginning of an epic comeback.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Tuesday when the team hosts Washington (Md.) at 4 p.m.

---CNU---