NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Celebrating Senior Day in style, the veterans on the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team carried the squad with a tremendous effort as CNU rolled past Marymount, 15-8, during a Capital Athletic Conference showdown on a rain-soaked Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
Leading the senior class, Carly Wilson posted six points after notching three goals and three assists. Equally effective on the offensive side, Caitlin King added four points, including three helpers, while Colleen Bourgal chipped in with a goal and two assists. She also forced a pair of turnovers and grabbed a ground ball.
 
On the defensive side, fellow fourth-year stars Tess D'Arcy and Claire Chadwick caused turnovers, while Corbyn Hale helped blanket the opposition throughout the contest.
 
Headlining the non-senior portion of the roster, Sarah Culver lit up the Saints with five goals and six draw controls. Samantha Wettengel also contributed a pair of strikes, while Julia Golden added a goal, assist, and two caused turnovers.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 7-6 on the season, including 3-1 in league action. The setback drops Marymount to 8-5 overall and 2-2 in CAC play.
 
Although the visitors managed to sneak out to an early lead, CNU fired back. In the sixth minute, the hosts evened the score at one. Settling behind the arc, Golden lofted a pass over the defense to Wettengel, who slipped free underneath. In the blink of an eye, the sophomore batted the ball out of the air and into the back of the net for the squad's first goal.
 
Quickly breaking the tie, Culver added her first tally just 10 seconds later. After securing the ensuing draw, the junior scorched the turf on a dead sprint towards the cage before landing a bullet to snatch the lead.
 
Doing wonderful work on both sides of the field, Kaitlyn Ready plucked a free-position attempt to quiet the next Marymount rally before Golden stripped an attacker deep in the defensive zone to end another threat. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Wettengel and Jordan Hayes tattooed the back of the net with two straight strikes to push the lead to 4-1 entering an MU timeout.
 
Following the break, the Captains picked up right where they left off. Wilson capitalized on a well-designed give-and-go with King on the far side of the field. Less than a minute later, King came back with a strike of her own after splitting the wickets of the Marymount goalie with a bounce shot for a 6-1 advantage.
 
Although the Saints retaliated with back-to-back goals, Christopher Newport never lost control. With five minutes remaining in the first half, Culver absolutely torched a defender on the far side of the field. Faking a pass to the interior, she cut back around the defender, slipped inside, and blistered her second goal. Just over a minute later, Wilson and King teamed up on another dart to push the edge to 8-3.
 
Attempting to regain some momentum, the visitors managed to tack on a late goal in the waning moments of the first half, but the Captains erupted after the break. Culver opened the second stanza with two straight goals, including a low rocket after running through three defenders. Less than 10 seconds later, after Gracie Sanders controlled the next draw, King fed inside to Bourgal, who blasted her first strike to grab an 11-4 lead.
 
Continuing to stretch the advantage, Culver shook another defender with a great cut on the way to her fifth and final goal. Shortly thereafter, Wilson plucked a bouncer off the turf behind the crease, rolled around to the near side, and connected with Sanders, who snapped off CNU's 13th strike of the game.
 
While the offense was extending the lead, the defense was suffocating the opposition. During a lengthy offensive stand by Marymount, Hale tormented an attacker, pushing her off her mark on the near side of the field while riding her around the front of the crease before forcing an errant pass. Later, Chadwick punched the ball out of the stick of another Saint before D'Arcy swatted a pass out of the air to disrupt another MU possession.
 
Although Marymount was eventually able to toss a few late goals on the board to keep the Captains from stealing a double-digit advantage, the game was never in doubt. Bourgal capped off her afternoon with an assist on a strike by Wilson after dropping a perfect pass to the near post from the eight-meter arc. Minutes later, Wilson dished to Golden, who scooted across the mouth of the goal before burying the final strike under the crossbar to help lock up the victory.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Marymount, 36-22, and held an 18-13 edge in ground balls. Ready picked up a team-high three rollers while also contributing seven saves to earn the victory. Hayes, King, and Culver also added two ground balls apiece.
 
CNU will return to action on Wednesday when the team heads to Fredericksburg for a 4 p.m. battle with Mary Washington.
 
---CNU---