CHICAGO, Ill. -- Kelsey Winters established a new single-season program record for assists, while Emma Jackson broke the single-game standard for draw controls as the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team capitalized on a historic showcase to take down Illinois Wesleyan, 20-1, during a neutral-site tilt on Sunday afternoon at Stagg Field.

Headlining the history-makers, Winters erupted for 11 points, including eight assists. The junior All-American now has 59 helpers this year, topping the previous mark of 55 set by Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Meghan Harkey in 2011.

Tormenting the Titans with an epic performance, Winters broke the game open with 10 points in the first 30 minutes of action. That equaled the most points in a single half in program history, matching her own double-digit eruption in the opener against Virginia Wesleyan on February 18, 2022.

Overall, Winters' 11 total points during the contest tied the fifth-highest total in program history, while her eight assists matched the fourth-most by a Captain. Incredibly, she now has three of the school's top-five single-game assist efforts, all of which have come in the past 50 days.

While Winters was picking apart the Illinois Wesleyan defense, Jackson was feeding the attack while controlling possession throughout the contest. The second-year star eventually came through with 14 draw controls. That topped the previous school record of 13, which was originally established by All-American Meaghan Galvin against Southern Virginia on March 23, 2017 and matched by Sam Wettengel against Salisbury on April 14, 2021.

Along with the record-setters, Alexis Kasuda deposited a career-high five goals, which marked her third consecutive hat-trick. Zoe Dyer also landed four tallies for the Captains, and Sloane McDonald had three.

On the defensive side, Christopher Newport limited the opposition to only eight shots during the game. Blanketing the field, the Captains did not surrender a goal until the 55th minute of action. That marked the longest shutout streak by the squad since a 60-minute blanking against Southern Virginia on April 16, 2014.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 7-7 on the season. The setback drops Illinois Wesleyan to 3-10.

Making quick work of the Titans, the Captains vaulted out to an early lead. Kendall Krause kicked off the contest with a free-position tally just 35 seconds into regulation, marking the second-fastest opening strike of the year. Shortly thereafter, Kasuda landed three straight blows, including two from Winters, to snatch a 4-0 lead just six minutes into the game.

Finding her rhythm, Winters went off after that point. Following her assists to Kasuda, she set up back-to-back goals by McDonald and Dyer. Later, she laced her own eight-meter missile before connecting with McDonald on two more tallies at the end of the period to help snatch a 10-0 lead entering the second period.

Winters' seven points in the opening quarter marked the most by a Captain in a single stanza in program history. Previously, she had a pair of six-point periods against Virginia Wesleyan and Kean earlier this season.

While the offense was lighting up the scoreboard, the defense clamped down against the Illinois Wesleyan attack. Facing an opponent that erupted for 20 goals against Augustana on Saturday, Christopher Newport was airtight on the back end. The Captains forced a shot-clock violation on the Titans' first rally, Riley Rafterry-Lee caused a turnover later in the period, and Lizzie Burgoyne snuffed out a free-position attempt to keep the squad scoreless through 15 minutes.

Later, in the second stanza, Burgoyne walled off the cage on another eight-meter attempt, while Christopher Newport's attack went back to work on the other side of the field. Kasuda kicked things off with a laser in the 19th minute before Dyer added two straight blasts. Shortly thereafter, Winters polished off the first half with her second dagger of the game, which handed the Captains a 14-0 lead.

Incredibly, the 14-goal halftime advantage equaled the program's largest since the Captains held a 16-1 edge entering the break against N.C. Wesleyan during the semifinals of the USA South Tournament on April 3, 2013.

With a healthy double-digit lead and a running clock, Christopher Newport cruised in the second half. During the third quarter, Syd Guidi dropped in a pair of goals to secure a 16-0 advantage. Meanwhile, on the other side, Taylor Schoolar brushed aside Illinois Wesleyan's only on-target attempt of the period.

Then, in the fourth stanza, Winters polished off her afternoon with a quick tally before Kasuda ripped her fifth goal of the game off a feed from Dyer. At the same time, the defense was suffocating as Dyer, Jackson, Madi Rozgonyi, and Maelyn Eversole all forced turnovers to stymie a series of early possessions by the Titans.

Although Illinois Wesleyan eventually found an opening with five minutes left in regulation, Christopher Newport responded with the final two nails. After collecting her 13th draw control of the game, Jackson scooted in and snapped off her first career goal. Moments later, Sophia McCullers also added her first tally before Jackson controlled the ensuing draw to polish off her record-breaking appearance.

Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Illinois Wesleyan, 38-8, and held a 19-13 lead in ground balls. The Captains also controlled 19 of the game's 24 draws. In addition to Jackson's work, Blake Hopkins had four draw controls as well.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the team welcomes Mary Washington to town for the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference opener at 1 p.m.

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