IWLCA National Coaches Poll
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team held steady in the latest IWLCA National Coaches Poll as the Captains remained 20th in the rankings ahead of their Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Semifinal match-up with No. 24 Mary Washington, which will take place on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Battleground Turf Field.
In the national poll, Christopher Newport picked up 153 points to remain in the 20th position. The other three teams in the Coast-to-Coast Semifinals also earned a spot in the rankings. Along with the 20th-ranked Captains and 24th-ranked Eagles, No. 4 Salisbury will host No. 22 St. Mary's (Md.) in the other semifinal showdown on Wednesday.
Coming into the playoffs with a 10-6 record, Christopher Newport earned the league's No. 3 seed after compiling a 3-4 ledger in conference action. Meanwhile, Mary Washington locked up the No. 2 seed after finishing at 5-5 overall and 3-3 in league play.
The Captains wrapped up the regular season ranked second in the conference in goals-per-game (15.06) and takeaways-per-contest (9.94). The squad's .501 shooting percentage also leads the Coast-to-Coast Conference and currently ranks as the highest mark by Christopher Newport since 2016.
Kicking off the postseason on the road, the Captains have won three straight road tilts entering Wednesday's battle while boasting a 5-4 record away from Newport News this year. Their five road wins already rank as the most by the program since 2017.
On an individual level,
Cat Leighty currently leads the conference with 44 goals, while
Zoe Dyer is second with 43. Meanwhile,
Kelsey Winters is second in both points (77) and assists (47). Just as effective on the defensive end,
Becca Creekmore has a league-high 120 saves. Additionally,
Sam Wettengel and
Gracie Sanders are tied for the conference-lead with 24 caused turnovers apiece, and
Julia Iapicca sits fourth with 21. Wettengel's 87 draw controls also place her second among league competitors and rank second on the school's all-time single-season charts.
Mary Washington comes into Wednesday with a 2-3 record at home, although the Eagles have won their last two bouts at the Battleground Turf Field, including a 9-8 overtime thriller against No. 22 St. Mary's (Md.) on April 7.
Reilly Miller has anchored UMW between the pipes while compiling a .463 save percentage, which ranks second in the conference. She also boasts four double-digit save efforts this year with all of them coming against nationally-ranked competition, including a season-high 15 stops against No. 2 Washington & Lee. Offensively, Katie Blair and Kennedy King both have 23 goals, while Kayla Sarazin has a team-high 29 points.
In their two previous match-ups this year, the Eagles and Captains both picked up a win. Mary Washington won, 18-12, in Fredericksburg on March 27 behind five-goal efforts from Sarazin, Blair, and King. Christopher Newport rebounded with a 12-8 triumph in Newport News on April 10. Leighty finished with a game-high six points in that battle, while Creekmore notched 10 saves and four ground balls.
The winner of Wednesday's showdown will advance to the Coast-to-Coast Conference Championship, which will be held on Saturday at the highest remaining seed.
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