ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Trailing by six midway through the second half, the 21st-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team dug in and pieced together a valiant comeback bid but came up just short in the end as No. 22 St. Mary's (Md.) held on for an 11-8 victory during a Coast-to-Coast Conference clash on Monday evening at Jamie L. Roberts Stadium.
 
_­During the game, Cat Leighty led the Captains with five points, including three assists. With that performance, she moved into the program's top-10 in career helpers. The senior star now has 59 assists, pushing her past Lauren King for 10th on the all-time charts.
 
Along with Leighty, Zoe Dyer added three points, including a pair of goals, while Kelsey Winters had a strike and an assist. With that helper, she bumped her total to 40 this season, joining Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Meghan Harkey, All-American Meaghan Galvin, and All-Region star Carly Wilson as the only Captains to reach that benchmark in a single campaign.
 
Additionally, Winters extended her streak to 12 consecutive games with at least one assist dating back to last season. That run equals the third-longest in program history, matching the 12-game roll by Kristen Conques during the 2007 campaign.
 
Meanwhile, on the defensive side, five Captains had at least two takeaways against the Seahawks. Kendall Krause forced two turnovers to go along with four ground balls, while Julia Iapicca and Gracie Sanders both recorded two rollers, two takeaways, and a pair of draws during the game.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 6-5 on the season, including 1-3 in league action. The victory moves St. Mary's (Md.) to 4-2 with a 1-2 mark against conference foes.
 
Defending their home turf, the Seahawks slipped out to a 2-0 lead before the Captains started chipping away at their deficit in the first half. Five minutes into regulation, after Sanders and Sloane McDonald teamed up on a quick clear, the attack capitalized. Winters lofted a pass to Krause, who crashed down on the crease and deposited the squad's first goal.
 
Meanwhile, on the other end of the field, the defense settled in. Sanders stripped an attacker to halt an early response before Becca Creekmore stepped up with a gorgeous save. After a Seahawk slipped free, the sophomore goalie faced a one-on-one situation. Standing toe-to-toe with the attacker along the crease, she came through with a pointblank stop to shut down the threat.
 
Although St. Mary's continued pressuring and eventually deposited another goal midway through the opening stanza, Christopher Newport regrouped.
 
On the offensive end, Leighty connected with Dyer, who secured the pass in traffic. With a defender draped on her back, she still managed to finish off the play along the right post for her first goal. Minutes later, with Christopher Newport facing limited time on the shot clock, Dyer returned the favor and threaded a feed to Leighty, who slammed home the equalizer.
 
Just as effective on the other end of the field, Creekmore continued piecing together a first-half masterpiece. On a single possession with 11 minutes left in regulation, she brushed aside a free-position attempt before snatching a turnaround shot on the interior. Shortly thereafter, she won a foot race to the sideline to flip control on another SMC surge before dipping down and swallowing a low liner during the Seahawks next trip up the field.
 
After St. Mary's broke the deadlock just before halftime, the hosts extended their lead to two early in the second stanza. Although Iapicca took advantage of a feed from Leighty in the 33rd minute to steal back some momentum, the Seahawks rallied. Grabbing control of the game, the team put together five straight goals to steal a 10-4 lead midway through the final period.
 
Unfazed by the six-goal deficit, Christopher Newport went back to work. Kicking off the resurgence, McDonald showcased her athleticism. The freshman took possession behind the crease and circled around the right pipe. Bursting across the zone with a defender in front of her, she slammed on the brakes, spun back, and blistered a dagger just inside the left post for the squad's fifth tally.
 
Meanwhile, on the other end, Creekmore walled off an eight-meter attempt before Iapicca tied up an attacker to force a turnover, which put a lid on the SMC response.
 
Still chipping away on the offensive end, Winters saved a free-position attempt from sailing out of bounds before wiggling through a host of Seahawks and cracking her first goal. Shortly thereafter, on a speedy clear, Riley Rafterry-Lee kicked off the action with a pinpoint feed to Sanders. On a break, the senior connected with Leighty, who painted the right post with a dart to cut the deficit down to three at 10-7.
 
With more work left to do, Sanders controlled the ensuing draw, and the Captains quickly converted. Leighty lofted a pass inside to Dyer. Flashing her stick skills, she caught and fired while shrugging off a bruising collision with a defender on the interior to pull the visitors back within two.
 
Still battling, Hope Hunter punched a ball away on the defensive end before Krause came up with the roller and scooted through a crowded zone to give possession back to the attack. Unfortunately, on two consecutive threats, St. Mary's was able to handle back-to-back free-position attempts before slapping the final tally on the board in the final seconds to lock up the win.
 
Overall, the hosts out-shot the Captains, 25-19, and held a 14-7 lead in draws. Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Creekmore finished with seven saves, while Joely Stevens registered two takeaways and did outstanding work on clears to keep pressure on the Seahawks.
 
Christopher Newport will look to bounce back on Wednesday when the team heads to Southern Virginia for a 5 p.m. tilt.
 
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