SALISBURY, Md. -- Emma Jackson joined an exclusive club, while
Alexis Kasuda notched her sixth hat-trick of the season, but the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team could not quite keep pace with No. 2 Salisbury as the Captains dropped a 17-7 decision during the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.
During the bout, Jackson collected a game-high six draw controls, which bumped her season total to 101. With that performance, she joined former teammate
Sam Wettengel and All-American Meaghan Galvin as the only Captains in program history to register at least 100 draws in a single campaign.
Along with Jackson, Kasuda posted three goals, including the squad's first strike in the opening stanza and a fourth-quarter blast that kicked off a late surge by the Captains. Meanwhile,
Eleanor Collins also added a pair of tallies, while
Kelsey Winters contributed four points, including three assists.
With her work on Saturday, Winters moved into fifth-place on the program's single-season scoring charts with 95 points in 2022.
For their efforts during the conference playoffs, Winters, Jackson, and
Maddie Rusinko were all named to the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team.
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 10-9 on the season. Meanwhile, the victory bumps Salisbury to 15-2 and locks up the program's 20th conference championship.
After the Sea Gulls slipped out to a 4-0 lead in the early going on Saturday, Christopher Newport whistled for a timeout and capitalized on the stoppage. Coming out refreshed, the Captains looked sharp on both sides of the field.
With four minutes left in the opening period, Winters found herself isolated one-on-one with a defender along the left side of the zone. Backing down the Sea Gull, she faked a roll to her right before flipping a feed to Kasuda, who caught and fired in one motion to put the visitors on the board.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Christopher Newport locked down the potent Salisbury attack. Jackson broke up a rally along the right post. Moments later, Rusinko disrupted a pointblank shot that caused the rip to bounce off the crossbar. Then, on Salisbury's final trip down the field in the first quarter,
Lizzie Burgoyne made a terrific save on a rocket from the right side to keep the three-goal deficit entering the second stanza.
Unfortunately, Salisbury found its groove again with a fresh 15 minutes on the clock. The hosts eventually hung a pair of early goals on the board in the second quarter to steal a 6-1 lead.
Needing to battle back, Christopher Newport settled in. Finding success in all facets of the game,
Syd Guidi controlled three straight draws, while Rusinko and
Joely Stevens knocked down a pair of passes along the crease to stymie the Sea Gull attack. Meanwhile, on the other end, Winters came through with her first goal after blasting a bullet just under the bar following a free-position attempt in the 19th minute.
Once again, Salisbury had a response and regained a comfortable lead after scoring four straight goals, which gave the hosts a 10-2 edge in the waning moments of the first half.
Still fighting, the Captains pushed back against the Sea Gulls. Burgoyne made two consecutive saves, including a huge stop on a second-chance opportunity. Later,
Blake Hopkins bottled up a rally on the interior, while Stevens and Rusinko swarmed a cutter who attempted to wiggle free along the crease to cut off another threat.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kasuda came through with her second goal. Following a lengthy offensive stand, the senior earned a free-position attempt. Bursting in from the eight-meter arc, she fired a ball just over the cage that generated a fancy give-and-go. On the back side, Dyer caught the laser and quickly sent it back to Kasuda, who dunked on the doorstep to cut SU's lead down to 10-3 entering halftime.
After the break, Salisbury came out quickly and stretched its advantage early in the third quarter. The Sea Gulls tacked on the first four goals of the second half to collect a 14-3 edge.
Although the Captains found themselves trailing by double-digits, the team never relented. On the back side,
Madi Rozgonyi broke up a run by the hosts with a tough ride along the left side of the zone. Later, Jackson bodied up an attacker and forced an off-target attempt, while Stevens ripped the ball away from another Sea Gull during a double-team to clamp down on a separate rally.
Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Christopher Newport added another goal in the 45th minute. On the play, Winters dodged two defenders and capitalized on a screen by
Kendall Krause to free up some space. Continuing to flash her passing skills, the junior All-American eventually found
Sloane McDonald circling around the left pipe for the squad's fourth goal.
The final stanza followed the same script as the first three quarters with Salisbury scoring early before Christopher Newport battled back. After the Sea Gulls stretched their lead to 17-4, the Captains retaliated.
Kicking off a late surge, Kasuda circled the field on a 50-yard sprint before snapping off a sidewinder for her third goal of the game. On the ensuing duel at midfield, Jackson came up with the loose ball for her 100th draw control of the year. Taking advantage of the possession, Winters drew the attention of two defenders before slipping a feed inside to Collins, who connected on Christopher Newport's sixth goal.
Just a few moments later, after another draw control by Jackson, Collins landed the final nail. With less than a minute remaining, the second-year star earned a free-position attempt. With a solid look from the top of the arc, she burned a low liner through the SU keeper for her second straight goal.
Overall, Salisbury held a 28-14 advantage in shots and an 18-13 lead in ground balls. The Sea Gulls also controlled 14 of the game's 27 draws. Along with Jackson's six draw controls, Guidi came through with four. Meanwhile, Krause and
Zoe Dyer added two ground balls apiece, while Stevens chipped in with a pair of takeaways.
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