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ASHLAND, Va. -- Sarah Culver registered her 200th career point, while
Madison Callan scored a pair of crucial goals late in the contest to help the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team pull away from Randolph-Macon during a 17-13 triumph on Wednesday evening at Day Field.
Needing just one tally to become the eighth player in program history to reach the 200-point plateau, Culver came through with a goal and an assist against the Yellow Jackets. With that performance, she became the first Captain to reach 200 career points since former teammate Meaghan Galvin joined the club during the 2016 campaign.
Along with Culver, Callan added a pair of darts during a four-goal surge late in the second half that stretched a slim one-goal edge into a comfortable 17-12 advantage with three minutes remaining in regulation.
Cat Leighty also pocketed a team-high seven points, including four goals, while
Katie Orrison notched a hat-trick.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side,
Kaitlyn Ready came through with 15 saves to earn the victory.
Victoria Betterly also flashed her skill set on both sides of the ball. The freshman collected three points, three caused turnovers, and three ground balls during a well-rounded showcase.
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 4-3 on the season. The setback drops Randolph-Macon to 2-3.
Picking up right where she left off last Tuesday, Leighty helped the Captains snatch an early lead. The reigning CAC Offensive Player of the Week scored the game's first goal on a free-position attempt before assisting on a dagger by Orrison. Orrison also added a second goal just two minutes later, while Betterly and
Gracie Sanders dropped in early rockets to steal a 5-2 lead in the sixth minute.
Battling back, Randolph-Macon scored three straight goals to knot the game at five. Still tied at six with less than six minutes remaining in the first period, Culver kicked off a late surge by the Captains.
After collecting a ground ball, Culver converted the possession into her 200th career point after finding the back of the net with a laser. Later, Betterly and Orrison continued the roll with two more tallies to help secure a 9-7 lead entering halftime.
Following the break, Betterly put a lid on the RMC attack with two caused turnovers in the first three minutes. Taking advantage on the other end,
Julia Golden converted an eight-meter shot before Leighty came through with a goal and an assist during a stellar 30-second window, which helped the Captains grab a 12-9 lead.
As they continued to do, the hosts fired back. Scoring twice in the middle of the stanza, Randolph-Macon inched within one at 12-11. Later, after the two teams traded strikes, including another blow by Golden, the Captains found themselves holding a 13-12 advantage with 15 minutes remaining.
Needing to create some breathing room,
Sam Wettengel drove home a free-position tally before Ready made two straight saves on the defensive side, including a crucial stop on an eight-meter attempt. Later, after Golden forced a turnover, Callan dropped in her first strike with eight minutes left in regulation.
Leading by three, Leighty added another goal with some help from Betterly before Callan came back with the final nail with three minutes left to grab a commanding 17-12 edge. Although the Yellow Jackets managed to toss a late goal on the board, Ready made three saves in the final three minutes to close out the contest.
Helping pace the attack,
Zoe Dyer chipped in with a pair of assists during the game, while Wettengel added three points. Meanwhile, Culver picked up a team-high five draw controls, and Ready notched six ground balls to go along with her 15 saves.
Overall, CNU held a 36-34 advantage in shots and a 20-14 lead in ground balls. Randolph-Macon controlled 17 of the game's 32 draws.
Christopher Newport will be back in action on Saturday when the squad hosts No. 22 Scranton at 2 p.m.
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