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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Trailing by two midway through the first half, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team quickly regrouped and strung together six straight goals while rallying past Lynchburg, 15-8, during a non-conference battle on a crisp Wednesday evening at Captains Field.

Zoe Dyer and Cat Leighty both contributed four goals for CNU, while Julia Golden made a little history against the Hornets. During the contest, the senior standout collected eight draw controls, which established a new personal-best and gave her 104 for her career. With that performance, she became just the 10th Captain to eclipse 100 career draws.

On the defensive side, Christopher Newport frustrated Lynchburg throughout the contest. Facing a squad that ranked second in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game, the Captains forced 16 miscues, including three apiece by Gracie Sanders and Alexis Kasuda. Kaitlyn Ready also forced a pair and added 13 saves while securing her sixth victory of the season.

With the win, CNU improves to 6-5 on the year. The setback drops Lynchburg to 3-4.

Although Dyer and Victoria Betterly both found the back of the net early in the contest, the visitors slipped out to a 4-2 lead. Needing to steal back some momentum, the Captains whistled for a timeout, and the stoppage paid immediate dividends.

Following the break, Sanders dug in on the defensive end and forced two straight turnovers before Dyer cut off a clear attempt and gave the ball back to the attack. With possession, Leighty found herself matched up one-on-one at the top of the zone. Gaining a step on her defender, she split the Hornets to her left before jump-starting the comeback with a dart from the interior.

Still down by one, the Captains flipped the script a few minutes later. First, Dyer evened the score at four after backing down a Hornet along the left post before finding the smallest sliver of daylight between the defender, goalie, and pipe. Minutes later, Sam Wettengel slipped a feed into Sarah Culver, who circled through three defenders before striking on the inside.

Now leading by one, Ready made sure to keep the advantage. Stepping up with a tremendous performance, the junior goalie smothered three straight shots, including a free-position attempt. Later, during a man-down situation, she also forced a turnover inside the crease before kicking off a jailbreak going the other way, which ended on the offensive end after Kasuda capitalized on a feed from Katie Orrison.

Holding a 6-4 advantage entering halftime, Christopher Newport continued to stretch the lead in the second stanza. Once again, the defense played an important role as CNU blanketed the Lynchburg attack. Kasuda forced two turnovers, Taylor Walker caused one, and Ready made three saves, including another stop on an eight-meter missile, to quiet the Hornets rally.

After brushing aside Lynchburg's early assault, the Captains went back to work on the offensive end. Leading the charge, Leighty scored three of the squad's next four goals, including a sidewinder off a free-position attempt and a quick transition strike after Ready came through with another save. Meanwhile, the squad also added a pair of heads-up tallies.

First, after Leighty earned another eight-meter attempt, the Hornets walled off the cage, but Sanders was there to collect the loose ball. After snatching the bouncer in the middle of a scrum, she quickly elevated and pounded home the rebound. Minutes later, Lynchburg batted away another on-target attempt, but Dyer stayed with the play. The freshman clubbed the ball out of the stick of a defender behind the crease. Gaining possession, she quickly dished over the cage to Leighty, who had nothing but open space in front of her on the way to her fourth goal.

Now fostering a 10-5 lead, the hosts closed out the game with another rally towards the end of the second half. Sanders and Golden both converted free-position attempts, while Wettengel slammed home her first dagger of the game. Meanwhile, Dyer capped off her showcase with a pair of highlight-reel goals.

First, Christopher Newport showed off its passing skills and ran a three-man weave during a breakaway with four minutes left. Running the point, Kasuda dished up to Leighty, who was anchored along the right pipe. Making the extra pass, Leighty quickly fed over to Dyer, who capitalized on the doorstep.

Two minutes later, Leighty found Dyer along the left post again. This time, the freshman used a no-look, behind-the-back, shovel shot to slip the ball past the keeper and help close out the contest.

Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Lynchburg, 34-25. Both teams secured 18 ground balls, while the Captains controlled 18 of the game's 25 draws. Along with Golden's efforts, Betterly also added four draw controls, while Anna Bowers contributed three late in the contest.

CNU will return to action on Saturday when the squad hosts No. 8 York (Pa.) at 2 p.m.



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