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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Despite a valiant first-half effort, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team could not quite keep pace with No. 22 Scranton after halftime as the Royals slipped past CNU, 14-6, during a non-conference showdown on a crisp Saturday afternoon at Captains Field.

Keeping pace with the nationally-ranked Royals, the Captains trailed by just a single goal entering the second half. Unfortunately, Scranton scored eight straight tallies to open the second stanza on the way to the victory. Zoe Dyer scored a pair of goals for CNU, while six other players added at least one point. Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Victoria Betterly forced six turnovers, which equaled the fourth-highest single-game total in program history. Julia Golden also caused four miscues, while Kaitlyn Ready came through with 17 saves between the pipes.

The setback drops Christopher Newport to 4-4 and snaps the program's four-game winning streak. The victory bumps Scranton to 5-1 on the season.

Although the visitors broke out to a fast 4-0 lead early in the first half, the Captains showed resiliency and clawed back into the game. First, on the defensive end, Ready snared a free-position attempt by Scranton before Betterly jumped on the loose ball. Moments later, after a successful clear, Dyer wrapped around the right pipe and slammed home a stinger from close range to put CNU on the board.

Continuing to cut away at the deficit, Cat Leighty found Gracie Sanders streaking through the defense for the squad's second strike in the 19th minute. Although Scranton momentarily retaliated to gain a 5-2 edge, Christopher Newport capped off the period with an impressive assault.

Shortly after Scranton's tally, Hannah Curry forced a turnover before Sam Wettengel capitalized on the other end. After Sanders handed the ball off to Wettengel, the junior circled around the defense before finding a seam straight up the gut. Bolting up the middle of the zone, she eventually snapped off a dart to pull the squad back within two.

Following a lengthy defensive stand, which included a pair of caused turnovers by Betterly, Sarah Culver added the final strike of the first half. Taking possession at the top of the zone, the senior used a quick jab step to clear her on-ball defender before bursting straight into the center of the arc. Surrounded by a slew of defenders, she whipped a low liner into the back of the net to cut Scranton's lead down to 5-4 entering the break.

Sadly, the Royals regrouped during the stoppage. Coming out of the break on fire, the visitors erupted for eight consecutive goals, which handed the squad a commanding 13-4 lead midway through the second half.

With the game out-of-reach, the hosts never relented. Continuing to fight, Madison Callan rolled with a defender on her hip before sinking a shot from the far side of the field. Later, after Ready stymied Scranton's response with three straight saves, Alexis Kasuda fed inside to Dyer, who capped off the squad's scoring with a contested rocket through the heart of the Scranton defense.

Overall, Scranton held a 33-27 advantage in shots and a 25-22 lead in ground balls. The Royals also controlled 16 of the game's 22 draws, although CNU did take five in the second half. Betterly finished the contest with four draw controls to go along with her six caused turnovers and five ground balls. Golden also forced four miscues and picked up three rollers, while Wettengel secured three ground balls as well.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Tuesday when the squad travels to Washington (Md.) for a 6 p.m. tilt.



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