ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- For the third straight season, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team punched its ticket to the semifinals of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament as the Captains toppled St. Mary's (Md.), 14-13, during a first-round bout on Saturday afternoon at Seahawk Stadium.
                         
During the contest, Sarah Culver and Julia Golden were tremendous. Culver led the attack with six goals, including four in the first half. Meanwhile, Golden continued to star on the draw. The senior registered 11 draw controls, which equaled the fourth-highest single-game total in program history. It also marked the first time a Captain recorded double-digits in a postseason tilt.
 
Along with the seniors, Cat Leighty made history while collecting five points, including four goals. With that performance, she became just the sixth sophomore in program history to reach 100 career points. She joins an exclusive club that reads like a "Who's Who" list of CNU legends, including two-time All-American Meaghan Galvin and Christopher Newport Hall of Famers Meghan Harkey and Kaitlin Quigley. Meanwhile, Erin Callahan was the last sophomore to accomplish the feat after reaching the mark along with Galvin during the 2015 campaign, while all-time leading scorer Ashton Marshall joined the club during her second season in 2012.
 
Starring on the defensive end, Sam Wettengel forced a game-high four turnovers. That moved her within one of matching Emily Johnson's single-season program record of 40 set in 2014.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 9-9 on the season and advances to the semifinals of the CAC Tournament for a date with top-seeded Salisbury on Tuesday at 4 p.m. The setback drops St. Mary's (Md.) to 9-9 overall.
 
Just 10 days after dropping a hard-fought decision against the Seahawks to wrap up the regular season, CNU went back for revenge. From the very beginning, the Captains were on a mission. Culver pounded away at the defense with two early goals, while Golden and Victoria Betterly also added darts to snatch a 4-0 lead less than five minutes into regulation.
 
Equally focused on the defensive end, Kaitlyn Ready snuffed out a pair of free-position attempts by the hosts to keep St. Mary's off the board.
 
Although the Seahawks eventually found some rhythm and scored three times in the middle of the period, Christopher Newport always had an answer. Culver landed her 18th eight-meter goal of the season before Leighty came through with her first strike of the game on the way to a 6-3 edge. Later, the attack went on another run to push the lead to six.
 
Setting up the assault, Taylor Walker slammed the door on a rally by St. Mary's before the offense took control. Leighty set up a dagger by Wettengel before adding a rocket of her own off a pass from Zoe Dyer. Meanwhile, Culver also peppered the back of the net with her fourth goal of the opening period to help lock up a 9-3 lead with seven minutes remaining in the stanza.
 
Despite a late rally by St. Mary's, which saw the hosts inch back to within four at 9-5, Christopher Newport regrouped at halftime.
 
Picking up right where they left off, Culver and Leighty combined for four goals during the first 14 minutes of the second half. On the other side of the field, Wettengel continued her relentless effort with two caused turnovers, while Ready swallowed three quick shots to keep the Seahawks off-balance.
 
Later, Golden set up a goal by Gracie Sanders, which gave the Captains a commanding 14-6 lead in the 57th minute of action.
 
With their season on the line, the hosts did all they could to chip away at their deficit. Battling back, the Seahawks made a huge push to jumpstart a comeback bid. Over the next six minutes, St. Mary's strung together four goals to close the gap to 14-10. Following a timeout by the Captains, Christopher Newport held off the late charge.
 
As time became a factor, the CNU defense slowed down the SMC attack. Ready brushed aside another free-position attempt, while the Captains continued to handle the mounting pressure. Eventually, the Captains cut over four crucial minutes off the clock without allowing another goal.
 
Down to their last breath, St. Mary's did manage to add three more tallies in the final three minutes, including two in the last 20 seconds. However, Ready chipped in with her seventh free-position save of the game in the waning moments to earn her third career postseason victory.
 
Overall, Ready finished the contest with 12 total saves, while Wettengel came through with four ground balls to go along with her four caused turnovers. Madison Callan also secured three rollers and forced a miscue during the game.
 
St. Mary's (Md.) out-shot CNU, 36-31, and held a slim 19-14 lead in ground balls. However, guided by Golden's efforts, the Captains dominated on the draw. Christopher Newport eventually controlled 18 of the game's 27 draws.
 
---CNU---