NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Playing its first game as a nationally-ranked team in five years, the 25th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse squad more than lived up to its billing as the Captains blew past No. 23 Lynchburg, 17-4, during a non-conference battle on a wet Wednesday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.
 
The victory marked the program's third triumph over a nationally-ranked opponent in school history and its first since a 9-8 win over No. 10 Catholic on March 3, 2016. Additionally, the 13-goal victory marked the squad's most lopsided win against a ranked foe, easily topping the one-goal triumph against No. 10 Catholic and an identical 9-8 victory against No. 15 Washington & Lee on February 23, 2013.
 
Headlining the onslaught, Zoe Dyer and Cat Leighty both contributed six goals against the Hornets. With their work, they became just the third pair of teammates to register at least six goals in a single contest. Meghan Harkey and Chrissy Rogers were the last duo to accomplish that feat after lighting up Sewanee on April 25, 2009.
 
Guided by her work on Wednesday, Dyer also entered rarified air, becoming just the 22nd player in program history to eclipse 100 career points.
 
Along with the high-volume scorers, Kelsey Winters added seven points, including five assists. Her final helper of the day was the 54th of her career, equaling the 10th-highest total in program history. Remarkably, she reached the top-10 on the all-time charts in just her 14th career game.
 
In addition to the offensive standouts, the Captains blanketed the field while forcing 16 turnovers. Sam Wettengel and Emma Jackson had four apiece. Jackson's four takeaways equaled the third-highest total by a freshman in school history, falling just two shy of matching the record held by Sally Allstadt and Victoria Betterly.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport moved to 5-2 on the season. The setback dropped Lynchburg to 3-2.
 
For the fifth straight game, the Captains snatched a three-goal lead just minutes into regulation. At the forefront of the dizzying display, Leighty, Winters, and Dyer all circled the defense on the way to quick strikes, which handed the hosts an early advantage.
 
After the visitors struck for the first time, Christopher Newport had an emphatic response. First, Winters unleashed a spin move behind the crease to shake a defender before finding Dyer cutting towards the cage on the way to the squad's fourth goal. Then, Leighty stepped up on both sides of the ball with fantastic work in the middle of the stanza.
 
On the defensive end, Leighty suffocated a midfielder with a great ride along the right sideline. Refusing to give an inch, she eventually bottled up the clear attempt and forced a turnover to give the ball back to the attack. Minutes later, the senior star came through with her second goal after lacing a sidewinder through the defense for a 5-1 lead.
 
Continuing to stretch the advantage, Winters battled through contact before dunking over the keeper with a goal on the interior. Shortly thereafter, Syd Guidi found Dyer, who turned and fired on the doorstep for her third tally. Two minutes later, Guidi flashed her finishing skills as well after skipping in a shot from the left side.
 
Staring at a seven-goal deficit, Lynchburg finally managed to find the back of the net again with three minutes left in regulation. Unfortunately for the visitors, Christopher Newport immediately responded as Dyer made a nice back-side cut on the way to her fourth goal of the first half just 30 seconds later.
 
After halftime, the Captains continued their relentless pace. Facing an unsettled situation, Dyer kicked off the second half by dropping a pass over two defenders before Wettengel converted on the inside. Later, Leighty snapped off a free-position dart before Dyer added her 100th career point after blistering a shot through two defenders, which gave the Captains a 12-2 lead.
 
Holding a double-digit advantage, Christopher Newport never let up. In the middle of the second stanza, Leighty added two more goals, including a bullet that just beat the shot-clock with 13 minutes remaining. Meanwhile, Julia Iapicca also capitalized on a feed by Sloane McDonald to help keep the visitors at bay.
 
On the defensive side, the Captains never let the Hornets breathe. Jackson did tremendous work on the interior, blanketing attackers while battling for ground balls and scurrying out of the zone to jumpstart clears. For the few shots that slipped past the back line, Becca Creekmore was sturdy between the pipes, brushing aside three late attempts, including a free-position opportunity.
 
Marching towards the victory, Christopher Newport eventually tossed two late goals on the board to cap off the win. First, Wettengel forced a turnover and kicked off an epic fast break, which saw half the team touch the ball. Zipping passes all over the field, the Captains eventually put on a clinic before Gracie Sanders connected with Dyer, who deposited on the run.
 
With little left to prove, the hosts added one final goal as Iapicca drew the attention of three defenders before Leighty filled the vacated zone and capitalized inside for her sixth strike of the game.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 28-13 advantage in shots and a 23-18 lead in ground balls. The Captains also controlled 13 of the game's 23 draws, including eight by Wettengel. With that performance, the senior standout moved into the top-10 on the career charts with her 112th draw control.
 
Meanwhile, Kendall Krause and Joely Stevens were vital on the defensive side with two takeaways apiece. Iapicca and Leighty also finished with a pair of caused turnovers against the Hornets.
 
Christopher Newport will be back in action on Saturday when the squad travels for another top-25 test against No. 17 Mary Washington at 1 p.m.
 
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