NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Erupting for 14 goals in the first half, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team set the tone early and never looked back as the Captains stung Shenandoah, 19-14, during a non-conference test on a wintry Saturday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.
 
Showcasing a well-balanced attack, five Captains registered multi-goal efforts against the Hornets. Kelsey Winters led the team with five strikes, while Zoe Dyer and Kendall Krause contributed four apiece. Meanwhile, Cat Leighty chipped in with her third hat-trick of the season, and Gracie Sanders added a pair of tallies to round out the high-volume scorers.
 
Along with the offensive standouts, Sam Wettengel was exceptional throughout the contest on the other side of the field. The senior forced four turnovers, giving her a league-high 16 takeaways this season. She also moved past Kelly Lane for sole possession of third-place on the program's career charts with 70 caused turnovers.
 
In addition to her work on the defensive side, Wettengel also collected 10 draws, including the 100th of her career. Her 10 total draw controls equaled the sixth-highest single-game effort in program history and the most since former teammate Julia Golden had 11 at St. Mary's (Md.) on April 27, 2019.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 4-2 on the season. The setback drops Shenandoah to 1-3.
 
For the fourth consecutive game, the Captains vaulted out to an early lead. Dyer led the onslaught with three quick strikes, including a free-position dart that kicked off the scoring less than two minutes into regulation. Meanwhile, Winters and Krause also added their first two goals of the game, while Sloane McDonald ripped one on the run and Gracie Sanders spun a defender into the ground on the way to her first strike, which gave the team a 9-0 lead.
 
Although Shenandoah finally got onto the board midway through the first half, Christopher Newport immediately responded. Winters finished off her third goal before Leighty added a gorgeous bounce shot, which gave the hosts a double-digit advantage at 11-1.
 
Despite the lopsided score, the Hornets refused to back down. Following a three-goal setback to No. 5 Salisbury and an overtime loss to No. 21 St. Mary's (Md.) earlier in the season, Shenandoah was more than comfortable competing with top-flight programs and never wavered during its comeback bid on Saturday.
 
Digging out of their deficit, the visitors scored five of the next seven goals to inch back within seven at 13-6. Needing to respond before halftime, Winters retaliated with a free-position dagger to regain an eight-goal edge entering the break.
 
In the second stanza, the two squads traded blows. Dyer and Leighty both added early tallies, while Krause completed her hat-trick from the eight-meter arc to keep an eight-goal lead at 17-9. Unfortunately, Shenandoah fought back and made things interesting during the middle of the period.
 
Continuing to chip away, the Hornets eventually whittled their deficit down to five with 11 minutes remaining in regulation.
 
After all the work they did to gain an early advantage, the Captains refused to let those efforts go to waste. On the defensive side, Becca Creekmore came through with two clutch saves, including a momentum-turning stop on a free-position attempt. Meanwhile, on the other end, Dyer set up a goal by Sanders with nine minutes remaining before Winters capped off her afternoon with a rocket to grab a 19-13 edge in the waning moments of regulation.
 
Although the visitors were able to slap one final goal on the board, the defense closed out the contest as Creekmore slammed the door on Shenandoah's final on-target shot before Wettengel forced another turnover to run out the clock.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Shenandoah, 39-33, and held a commanding 18-9 lead in ground balls. Creekmore secured four rollers to go along with 13 saves, while Wettengel and Krause had three ground balls apiece. Meanwhile, Hope Hunter had two takeaways on the defensive side, and Julia Iapicca and Joely Stevens added one each.
 
The Captains will return to action on Wednesday when the squad hosts Lynchburg at 5 p.m.
 
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