RALEIGH, N.C. -- Facing one of the nation's top attacks, the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team orchestrated a tremendous effort during a 60-minute masterpiece as the Captains stifled Meredith throughout the contest while pulling away for a 15-8 victory on Tuesday evening at the MC Turf Field.
 
Entering the game ranked sixth in the NCAA with a 19.27 goals-per-game average, Meredith could never find its footing as Christopher Newport stepped up on the defensive side of the ball. Blanketing the field from sideline to sideline, the Captains forced 10 turnovers while limiting the Avenging Angels to only 15 on-target shots. Emma Jackson, Julia Iapicca, and Gracie Sanders all had two takeaways apiece, while Becca Creekmore added seven saves on the back end.
 
Controlling possession, Christopher Newport also secured 18 of the game's 25 draws, including another historic effort by Sam Wettengel. The senior came through with 10 draw controls during the game, which equaled the seventh-highest total by a Captain. Incredibly, she has now registered four of the top-10 single-game efforts in program history this season, and her 87 total draws in 2021 rank second on the all-time charts.
 
Meanwhile, on the offensive end, three Captains registered hat-tricks, including five-point showings by Cat Leighty and Zoe Dyer. With her work on Tuesday, Leighty also joined an exclusive club. During the game, she posted a pair of free-position goals, giving her 31 career strikes from the eight-meter arc. She is one of only five players in school history to eclipse 30 free-position tallies, joining Christopher Newport Hall of Famers Meghan Harkey and Ashton Marshall as well as All-Americans Sarah Culver and Meaghan Galvin.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport wraps up the regular season with a 10-6 record. Meanwhile, the loss drops Meredith to 9-3 overall and hands the Avenging Angels their first setback at home in over a calendar year.
 
Squaring off against a high-powered offense, the Captains put together an outstanding effort on both ends of the field to keep Meredith in check in the first half. During the early going, Dyer put the visitors on the board after snapping off a bullet in the middle of four defenders. Later, Syd Guidi spun around an Angel during a sprint towards the crease before depositing on the right side of the zone, which evened the score at two.
 
Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Paige Williams came through with a leaping interception at midfield to cut down on a clear attempt. Later, after Meredith worked its way down the field, Creekmore made a pair of pointblank saves, including a gorgeous stop on a wraparound rocket near the left pipe. Jackson also poked the ball away to end a separate threat, while Riley Rafterry-Lee shadowed an attacker behind the crease before closing out on a second Angel, who tried to sneak in for an attempt on the doorstep.
 
Although the hosts eventually broke through the defense and slipped out to a 5-2 edge with nine minutes remaining in the first half, Christopher Newport retaliated on the other side. Kicking off the resurgence, Iapicca set a screen on the inside of the zone, which sent a defender tumbling to the turf. Taking advantage, Williams lofted a pinpoint feed to Wettengel, who hammered home the squad's third goal.
 
Later, Dyer got a defender to bite on a fake shot from the left side. After creating space, she rolled to her right and stung along the opposite pipe for her second goal. Four minutes later, the junior came back on a quick clear and drew the eyes of the defense, which allowed Iapicca to burst in the backside, snare a pass, and launch the equalizer.
 
While the offense found its rhythm and knotted the score at five, the defense continued to clamp down on the MC attack. During a lengthy surge by the Avenging Angels, Creekmore made a spectacular play. Scrambling for a loose ball, she hit the turf while trying to regain possession behind the crease. Although Meredith recovered the roller and had a clean look after connecting on a pass over the top of the cage, the second-year star regained her footing, burst around the left post, and made a fantastic save to wipe away the threat.
 
Later, Creekmore came back with another stop, Joely Stevens prevented an attempt with a great ride on an attacker, and Wettengel ripped possession away from a midfielder with a stick-check to help keep the game knotted at five entering halftime.
 
Following the break, Christopher Newport quickly took its first lead of the game. Dyer caught a defender over-pursuing, spun out, and landed the go-ahead goal along the left post. Shortly thereafter, Leighty extended the lead with back-to-back free-position tallies. First, she pained the left pipe with a bouncer before changing elevation and adding the next dart just under the crossbar.
 
Flashing her passing skills as well, Leighty extended the lead to 9-5 after lofting a pass to Kendall Krause, who cut in from the left and sniped in the center of the zone.
 
Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Christopher Newport continued to shine. Shortly after the Captains extended their lead, Meredith had a great opportunity to answer after generating a 2-on-1 breakaway following a failed clear. However, Rafterry-Lee disrupted the play and forced a last-minute pass. With work left to do, Creekmore stayed home and snared an on-target tracer to end the threat.
 
Later, after the hosts finally found an opening and pulled back within three, the Captains never let them get any closer. On the ensuing draw, Eleanor Collins came through with possession after a lengthy battle near midfield. Although, the Avenging Angels eventually regained control after a defensive stand, their offense struggled to find an opening.
 
During the middle of the second half, Hope Hunter absolutely locked down a midfielder along the right sideline. Standing her ground, she eventually created a turnover, which handed the ball back to the Captains. Shortly thereafter, Meredith returned to the attack and had a chance on the inside, but Sanders punched the ball away in the middle of a scrum before Iapicca snared the roller and cleared the field.
 
Following the defensive stand, the offense put the game away with a rapid-fire assault. After Meredith was hit with two straight cards, Christopher Newport capitalized. Sanders came through with a pair of man-up goals, including a rip off a feed from Sloane McDonald. Krause also added a pair of daggers, including a nice give-and-go with Dyer, which secured a 13-6 edge.
 
Continuing the onslaught, Leighty circled a defender and snapped off her third goal of the game before Iapicca put an Angel through the spin cycle on the left side of the zone, which pushed the lead to 15-6 with nine minutes left in regulation.
 
Holding a comfortable advantage, the defense put the game away. Keeping Meredith from mounting a response, the Captains constructed a wall near midfield. Dyer, Iapicca, and Krause helped cut off three straight clear attempts, which kept the Angels on their heels. Although the hosts eventually tossed a pair of late goals on the board, Jackson put the finishing touches on the game with an interception along the crease to seal the win.
 
Along with her two takeaways, Jackson also was a valuable asset near midfield as the freshman secured five draw controls during the game. Collins also added three to help keep the ball away from the Meredith attack.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot the hosts, 32-21, while the Avenging Angels led the way in ground balls, 17-11. Creekmore had a team-high three rollers, while Iapicca added a pair to go along with her three points and two caused turnovers.
 
The Captains will return to action with the Coast-to-Coast Conference Tournament. Final seedings and early-round match-ups will be determined once league play wraps up later this week.
 
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