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SAN JUAN, P.R. -- Playing a role in over half of the team's goals, Cat Leighty registered 11 points during a highlight-reel performance that carried the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team past Roanoke, 19-12, during a neutral-site contest on Tuesday morning in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Electric throughout the battle, Leighty came through with seven assists and four goals. Her seven helpers marked the third-highest single-game total in program history and the most since Meghan Harkey dished out 10 against Agnes Scott on April 3, 2010. Meanwhile, her 11 total points marked the most by a Captain in five years and equaled the third-highest total in school history.
 
In addition to Leighty, four other players contributed hat-tricks for CNU. Julia Golden and Gracie Sanders both chipped in with four points against the Maroons, while Zoe Dyer and Katie Orrison drove home three goals apiece.
 
Along with the offensive heroes, Christopher Newport also put a lid on the high-powered Roanoke attack. Facing an offense that came into the contest averaging 22 goals per game, the CNU defense was up to the challenge. Kaitlyn Ready made 16 saves between the pipes, while Golden, Sanders, and Kendall Krause all forced two turnovers apiece.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport extends its winning streak to three games and stands at 3-3 on the season. The setback is the first of the year for Roanoke, who now sits at 3-1 overall.
 
Putting its offense on display early in the contest, RC slipped out to a 4-2 lead before the Captains found their rhythm. First, on a free-position attempt, Dyer and Golden ran a smooth give-and-go, which ended with Dyer capitalizing on the interior. Less than a minute later, Leighty found Sanders cutting towards the cage for the equalizer.
 
Following a Roanoke timeout, the Maroons had an opportunity to break the deadlock, but Taylor Walker bodied up an attacker while toeing the crease before Krause snatched the loose ball. In a flash, Sarah Culver capitalized on the other end. Taking possession at the top of the zone, the reigning CAC Offensive Player of the Week split the defense to her right before slamming home her second goal on the run.
 
Holding a 5-4 edge, Leighty went to town. Carving up the defense, she connected with Sanders on another strike before drawing the attention of three defenders on CNU's next possession. With the defense over-pursuing, she slipped a feed over the top to Golden, who caught it on the back side and slipped in for the squad's seventh tally.
 
Just seconds later, with the defense respecting her passing skills, Leighty backed down a defender, spun to her right, and torched the back of the net for her first goal of the game. On the very next possession, she capped off Christopher Newport's seven-goal surge with another assist on a dart by Victoria Betterly to push the lead to 9-4.
 
Marching towards halftime, Dyer added CNU's 10th strike with just over five minutes remaining in the period after the freshman gained a step on a defender following a nice sprint around the left post.
 
With a healthy lead, Christopher Newport's defense did its job as well.  Sam Wettengel made a leaping stab to knock the ball away deep in the defensive zone, while Krause also intercepted a pass to stymie another rally. Meanwhile, Ready was tremendous in the cage. The junior goalie made six saves over the final 10 minutes of the first half, including four on free-position attempts, to carry a 10-6 lead into the break.
 
Following halftime, Leighty came back for more. After notching her seventh assist early in the stanza, she put her finishing skills on full display. In just over four minutes of action, she struck three times, including a submarine shot from pointblank range and an eight-meter rocket from distance.
 
Meanwhile, Orrison was equally lethal. She also added three goals during the first 16 minutes of the second stanza. Recording a hat-trick at breakneck speed, she opened the second half with a strike off a feed from Leighty before cutting back around a defender and launching a bullet from just inside the arc. Putting the finishing touches on her day, she bullied her way inside along the left pipe before depositing her third goal on the interior to grab a 17-8 advantage.
 
Although Roanoke rallied late, Christopher Newport's lead was never in danger. Eventually, Golden and Dyer rounded out the team's offensive efforts before Ready made two late saves to put the final punctuation mark on the victory.
 
Overall, both teams recorded 33 shots during the contest, while CNU controlled 19 of the game's 32 draws. Golden led the way with five draw controls, while Dyer, Wettengel, and Orrison had three apiece.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on March 13 when the squad heads to Randolph-Macon for a 7 p.m. showdown.
 
---CNU---