SALISBURY, Md. -- Making history on Saturday evening, Sam Wettengel established a new single-season record for draw controls, while Cat Leighty joined the prestigious 200-point club, but the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team could not quite capitalize on those efforts as the Captains dropped a hard-fought 17-8 decision to No. 4 Salisbury during the Coast-to-Coast Conference Championship at Sea Gull Stadium.
 
Against Salisbury, Wettengel secured seven draws, which bumped her season total to 106. That pushed her past former All-American Meaghan Galvin's record of 105, which was set in 2017. Incredibly, she accomplished the feat in just 15 appearances this year. Her 7.07 draws-per-game average is by far the highest in program history and ranks among the top rates in the nation this season.
 
Along with Wettengel, Leighty added a pair of second-half assists against SU. With that performance, she became just the ninth player in school history to reach 200 career points. Her 82 points this season also rank 10th on the program's all-time list and stand as the second-most since the school joined the vaunted Coast-to-Coast Conference in 2014.
 
In addition to the veteran stars, Paige Williams came through with a performance for the ages. The first-year standout contributed four goals and an assist. Her five total points marked the most by a freshman in a playoff game since Elena Obregon had six in the USA South Championship against Greensboro on April 13, 2013.
 
Overall, the setback drops Christopher Newport to 11-7 on the season, while the victory bumps Salisbury to 15-0.
 
After the hosts jumped out to an 11-3 lead at halftime, the Captains regrouped during the break and pieced together an impressive effort over the final 30 minutes to chip away at their deficit.
 
Kicking off the second-half push, Wettengel secured the opening draw before the offense went to work. Less than a minute into the new stanza, Christopher Newport struck. Julia Iapicca threaded a pass through a tight window towards the crease. On the receiving end, Williams wrapped around the right pipe, secured the feed, and shoveled a low liner past the keeper for her second tally of the game.
 
Although Salisbury retaliated with three straight goals to snatch a double-digit advantage, the Captains answered. Locking down on the defensive end, Taylor Schoolar made a nice grab on a centering pass after inching out of the crease. Later, after the Sea Gulls returned to the zone, Joely Stevens walled off the left pipe and stayed on the hip of an attacker before pushing her away from the cage to end the threat.
 
Continuing to pressure the Captains, Salisbury returned again and earned a free-position attempt midway through the period. Brushing aside the play, Emma Jackson bolted in and disrupted the shot just enough to send it sailing past the cage. Well-positioned, Riley Rafterry-Lee was backing up the play and won a short race to the end line to regain possession.
 
Meanwhile, on the other end, Christopher Newport started to find its rhythm. With 14 minutes remaining, Wettengel beat a defender in a one-on-one situation with a nice curl around the top of the zone. After slipping free, she sent a pass down low to Kendall Krause, who whistled a one-timer before a Sea Gull could close out on the left side.
 
Later, after Schoolar snared a free-position attempt on the other side of the field, the Captains pieced together an epic offensive assault.
 
Once again, Iapicca kicked off the surge with a beautiful play. Although a midfielder dislodged the ball from her stick, she saw a slew of Sea Gulls swarming the area. Rather than trying to battle the entire SU team for possession, she slapped a grounder up the field to Leighty, who secured it and pushed forward.
 
With the defense struggling to catch up, Leighty found Williams on the doorstep, who flicked another shot past the keeper for her third strike of the game.
 
Moments later, after Zoe Dyer controlled the draw, the offense went right back to work. This time, Williams showed off her passing skills as she settled behind the net before finding Gracie Sanders sprinting through the defense. After collecting the pass, the senior hammered from close range to pull Christopher Newport back within seven at 14-7.
 
With more work to be done, Wettengel continued the surge. On the ensuing draw, Eleanor Collins lofted a floater into the air. After the ball hit the turf, Wettengel battled through contact and eventually won possession for her record-setting 106th draw of the season.
 
Continuing the historic run, Leighty torched a defender, pushed up the right side of the field, and slipped a pass back through traffic to Williams, who swatted it out of the air for her fourth tally of the game. Meanwhile, the assist was the 200th point of Leighty's standout career.
 
Unfortunately, after cutting the deficit down to six with nine minutes remaining, Christopher Newport could not pull any closer. Following Williams' dagger, Salisbury called for a timeout. After the stoppage, the Sea Gulls pieced together three late goals to seal the 17-8 win.
 
Similar to the second half, the two teams traded blows early in the opening stanza. After SU got on the board first, Krause skipped in a free-position attempt less than a minute later to even the score at one. Sadly, Salisbury retaliated and strung together five straight goals to earn a healthy 6-1 lead midway through the first half.
 
Needing to step up on the defensive side, Rafterry-Lee cut off a wraparound attempt along the left post before Becca Creekmore snatched the loose ball. Later, Krause stuck to an attacker as she attempted to weave through the zone before forcing an errant attempt. Continuing the defensive stand, Creekmore flashed her reflexes after picking off a pointblank pass while standing in the crease.
 
After bottling up the Salisbury attack, Christopher Newport went back to work on the offensive side. Sanders earned a free-position attempt and unloaded a shot that ripped off the shoulder of the keeper before finding the back of the cage. Four minutes later, Williams collected her own rebound before rising up and pumping a blast off the helmet of the goalie, which also spun neatly into the net
 
Unfortunately, the Sea Gulls shook off the momentary stumble. Although Creekmore stoned a free-position attempt and Wettengel added a terrific trail-check to stamp out an SU clear attempt, the hosts kept attacking and eventually stole an 11-3 halftime lead on the way to their title-clinching performance.
 
Overall, Salisbury out-shot Christopher Newport, 27-22, and held a 15-12 lead in ground balls. The Sea Gulls also controlled 14 of the game's 26 draws. For the Captains, Jackson stuffed the stat sheet with two takeaways, three draws, and a pair of ground balls, while Creekmore and Schoolar combined for three caused turnovers, four ground balls, and four saves.
 
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