FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Behind a well-balanced offensive attack and another tremendous defensive effort, the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team punched its ticket to the Coast-to-Coast Conference Championship after taking down No. 24 Mary Washington, 12-9, during the league semifinals on Wednesday afternoon at the Battleground Turf Field.

Against the Eagles, five players registered multi-goal efforts, including an eight-point eruption by Cat Leighty. The senior star struck twice and added six assists, which equaled the sixth-highest single-game total by a Captain. It also marked the most helpers against a nationally-ranked foe in program history.

Along with Leighty's efforts, Sam Wettengel also added a pair of goals while collecting 12 draw controls. That total equaled the third-highest in school history. Incredibly, since the program was founded in 2001, there have only been 14 games in which a Captain has registered at least 10 draw controls. In the past 39 days, Wettengel has five of them.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Becca Creekmore matched her season-high with 13 saves, including seven in the second half as the Captains brushed aside Mary Washington's comeback attempt. Emma Jackson also contributed three caused turnovers, which bumped her season total to 16. That marks the fifth-most by a freshman in program lore.

Adding more history to Wednesday's outcome, the victory was Christopher Newport's fourth against a nationally-ranked opponent this season, doubling the total number of top-25 wins recorded by the program during its first 20 years of existence. The win also propelled the Captains into the conference championship for the first time since the 2013 squad won the USA South title.

Overall, Christopher Newport now sits at 11-6 on the season and will face Salisbury in the league finals on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Sea Gull Stadium. Meanwhile, Mary Washington wrapped up its year with a 5-6 record.

Although the hosts slipped out to an early lead, the Captains had an immediate response. Knotting the score less than a minute later, Leighty snared the rebound off a free-position attempt before firing over the head of the keeper along the right post to tie the game at one.

After Mary Washington regained an advantage in the seventh minute, Christopher Newport continued the seesaw affair. Wettengel capitalized on a feed from Leighty to even the score again. Then, after Creekmore brushed aside UMW's response, the Captains took their first lead following a quick clear. Storming into the zone, Gracie Sanders drew the attention of the defense as Zoe Dyer slipped behind the Eagles. After collecting a pass, Dyer found herself one-on-one with the goalie and immediately took advantage with a bullet from the left side, which gave the visitors a 3-2 edge.

Despite another goal by Mary Washington, Christopher Newport broke loose during a surge in the middle of the first half. Dyer curled underneath a defender and deposited her second straight tally along the right post. Later, Leighty drove home an eight-meter missile and set up another strike by Wettengel, who split a pair of Eagles with a laser from the left side.

Holding a 6-3 edge, the Captains tossed another goal on the board after Wettengel controlled the ensuing draw. Just 30 seconds after the squad's sixth tally, Paige Williams lofted a pass to Julia Iapicca, who dotted the back of the cage despite getting knocked off-balance by some contact on the inside of the zone.

Although Mary Washington closed the gap at the end of the first half while cutting its deficit down to 7-5 just before the break, Christopher Newport regrouped. First, on the defensive end, Creekmore made a pair of early saves in the second stanza, including a gorgeous stop on a free-position attempt. Meanwhile, Sanders and Joely Stevens bottled up back-to-back runs by the Eagles, which helped the Captains keep their two-goal edge.

Following the defensive stand, Hope Hunter took control on the offensive side. Stepping up with a tremendous surge, the sophomore drove home back-to-back goals. First, she caught a beautiful feed from Leighty before ripping a rocket while surrounded by four defenders. Just over 60 seconds later, she caught another pass on the run near the top of the zone. Stopping on a dime, she got a defender to sprint right past her before cutting to her right. With more than enough space, she sliced a shot just inside the left pipe, which gave the team a 9-5 lead.

After Mary Washington called a timeout, the Captains kept their foot on the gas. Wettengel controlled the draw after the stoppage before Leighty dropped another feed to Kendall Krause, who snapped off a sidewinder to push the advantage to 10-5 with 18 minutes left in regulation.

Refusing to go down quietly, the hosts scored twice in the span of four minutes to make things interesting. However, Christopher Newport never let the Eagles get any closer.

Polishing off her historic appearance, Leighty carved up the defense with two more assists. First, on a perfectly-executed play, the Captains earned a free-position attempt but passed up the shot before Leighty took control at the top of the zone. With the defense stepping forward, Sanders slipped inside, caught a feed, and fired in one smooth motion for her first goal. Shortly thereafter, Leighty threaded another pass to Iapicca, who never broke stride while blowing past a defender on the way to the team's final tally.

Staring at a 12-7 deficit with 11 minutes left in regulation, Mary Washington whistled for another timeout. Although the second stoppage paid dividends and resulted in two late goals, Christopher Newport's defense closed out the game in style.

Over the final five minutes, Creekmore turned away a pair of on-target shots and intercepted a pass near the crease to close down another rally. Later, with just over a minute remaining, the Eagles tried to strike from close range, but Jackson shadowed an attacker and punched the ball away before Krause snatched the roller to help close out UMW's final surge.

Overall, both squads finished with 28 shots, while Christopher Newport held a 16-13 edge in ground balls. Jackson and Riley Rafterry-Lee both secured three apiece for the visitors, while Krause and Creekmore had two each. Meanwhile, as a result of Wettengel's historic work near midfield, the Captains also led the way in draws, 12-11.

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