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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Kaitlyn Ready and
Sarah Culver pieced together a pair of record-setting efforts, but the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team could not quite keep pace with No. 5 Mary Washington as the Eagles erased an early deficit on the way to an 18-7 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Battleground Complex.
During the contest, Ready made 13 saves. That bumped her career total to 484, which stands as a new program record. The junior star blew past the old mark of 472, which was established by Gayle Robinson from 2007-10. Her 484 stops also rank as the 17th-highest total among active Division III goalies and the sixth-highest at any level of the NCAA among non-seniors.
While Ready was making history in the crease, Culver was starring on the offensive end. The senior standout came through with a hat-trick against the Eagles, including a pair of darts from the eight-meter arc. She now has 57 career free-position goals, which tops the previous school standard of 55 set by former teammate Meaghan Galvin from 2014-17.
Along with the history-makers,
Zoe Dyer and
Julia Golden both contributed a pair of goals against the Eagles, while
Sam Wettengel forced two turnovers. The junior midfielder has now forced 28 turnovers this season, which stands as the third-highest single-season total in program history. It is also the most since Emily Johnson set the school record with 40 during the 2014 campaign.
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 7-7 on the season, including 1-2 against conference foes. The victory bumps Mary Washington to 10-2 with a 1-1 mark in league play.
Getting off to a quick start, the Captains tossed the first two goals on the board in the first three minutes. Kicking things off, Dyer controlled the opening draw and capitalized on the possession with a dagger just 52 seconds into the contest.
Keeping the momentum, Ready and Culver joined the fun with their record-setting efforts. After Ready stoned Mary Washington's first shot of the game, which tied Robinson's career saves standard, Culver took advantage on the other end. After a quick clear, the senior earned an eight-meter attempt and quickly buried her record-setting 56th career free-position goal to snatch a 2-0 lead.
Unfortunately, the Eagles retaliated after that point. Wettengel forced a turnover on UMW's initial response, but the hosts eventually regained possession and lit up the scoreboard. Two minutes later, Mary Washington evened the score at two.
Needing to stem the tide, Ready did her best between the pipes. The junior made eight saves over the next 11 minutes, including three on free-position attempts. Sadly, UMW's relentless attack never slowed down. The Eagles eventually pulled out to a 6-2 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the opening period.
Fighting back,
Katie Orrison set up Golden's first goal to cut the deficit down to three. Moments later, Culver added her second free-position dagger before
Jackie Baker secured the ensuing draw. Down by only two, the Captains tried to inch closer, but once again, the Eagles had an answer. After stealing the ball back, Mary Washington scored five straight goals to close out the first half with a commanding 11-4 advantage.
Still rolling in the second stanza, the hosts pushed their lead to double-digits at 14-4 before Culver completed her hat-trick with 23 minutes remaining in regulation.
Continuing to answer Christopher Newport's rallies, the Eagles tacked on two more tallies to snatch a 16-5 lead. Although Golden made the hosts pay for a penalty with a man-up missile and Dyer added her second dart towards the end of regulation, Mary Washington never lost its rhythm on the way to an 18-7 triumph.
During the game, UMW out-shot CNU, 38-16. The Eagles also led the way in ground balls, 29-17. Wettengel led the Captains with six rollers, while Ready scooped up four. Golden,
Kendall Krause, and
Taylor Walker all added two ground balls as well.
Mary Washington also held a slim 15-12 lead in draw controls. Once again, Wettengel led the Captains with three draws, while Dyer, Golden, and
Victoria Betterly all chipped in with two apiece.
Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the Captains host No. 4 Salisbury at 4 p.m.
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