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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Sarah Culver erupted for seven goals, while
Zoe Dyer added four strikes of her own to help lift the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team over Shenandoah, 17-9, during a frigid Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
Culver's seven-goal showcase matched her career-high and equaled the fourth-highest single-game total in program history. Meanwhile, Dyer notched her third consecutive multi-goal effort and her first collegiate hat-trick before finishing with a career-high four tallies.
Katie Orrison also found the back of the net three times against the Hornets, while
Julia Golden handed out three assists.
On the defensive side, the Captains were equally relentless. Freshmen
Kendall Krause and
Victoria Betterly both forced three turnovers, while Golden and
Sam Wettengel had two apiece.
Kaitlyn Ready also came through with 10 saves on the way to the victory.
With the win, Christopher Newport improves to 2-3 on the season. The setback drops Shenandoah to 2-2.
Just 13 seconds into the contest, Golden secured the initial draw and found
Cat Leighty, who deposited the game's first tally. That equaled the third-fastest opening goal in program history. Just moments later, after Dyer collected a ground ball off a free-position attempt by Leighty, the freshman joined the fun with her first dart to push the lead to 2-0 less than a minute into regulation.
After that point, Culver took over. Showcasing a lethal arsenal, the senior scored on an eight-meter attempt, scurried free on a breakaway goal, and bullied her way through the SU defense for a contested strike on the interior. She also dipped under a defender along the right post before lacing a sidewinder into the back of the net for a highlight-reel rocket.
Eventually, Culver scored five consecutive goals for the Captains during a mindboggling eight-minute stretch to snare a 7-1 lead.
Although Shenandoah snapped the run with a goal in the 12th minute, the Captains fired back. Orrison capitalized on a feed from Golden to get things rolling before Culver came back with another free-position strike during a man-up situation to grab a 9-2 advantage.
Looking to cap off the first-half in style, the hosts never slowed down. Culver added her seventh goal, while Dyer chipped in with three late lasers, including a fantastic shot just under the crossbar after poking around the left pipe. Later,
Gracie Sanders came through with the final nail before halftime off another eight-meter attempt to snatch a 14-4 lead entering the break.
With the offense doing its job, the defense was equally effective. Betterly forced an early turnover to stunt a quick run by the visitors, while Ready made back-to-back saves during a rapid-fire attack. Krause also stuck to the hip of a Hornet on the far side of the field before forcing a turnover to cut off another run.
Meanwhile, the offense never lost its rhythm. Orrison and
Sam Wettengel teamed up on two early goals before
Olivia Aumais slipped in a free-position attempt to secure a 17-5 lead with 19 minutes remaining in regulation.
Despite a late rally by the visitors, which included four goals in the final five minutes, the game was well in hand before the final horn sounded. Krause eventually forced two more turnovers to keep the Hornets in check, while Betterly stripped another attacker before
Taylor Walker jumped on the loose ball to quiet a late surge on the way to the victory.
Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Shenandoah, 29-22, and held a 23-15 lead in ground balls. The Captains also controlled 15 of the game's 27 draws, including eight by Culver. Golden also contributed six draw controls to go along with her three assists and two caused turnovers.
CNU will return to action on Tuesday when the squad travels to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a 10 a.m. tilt against Roanoke.
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