NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Staying within striking distance throughout the first half, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team battled hard against No. 11 York (Pa.) before the high-powered Spartans put together a huge third-quarter surge as the Captains dropped an 18-7 decision on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

During the contest, Christopher Newport held a lead until late in the opening quarter and eventually entered halftime trailing by only three. Unfortunately, the Spartans outscored the Captains, 10-1, in the third quarter to pull away for the win.

Kendall Krause and Julia Iapicca both collected a pair of goals against York, while Brookelyn Morrison and Kelsey Winters added two points apiece. With her helper in the fourth quarter, Winters moved into a tie with Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Meghan Harkey for the most assists in program history. Both Captains now boast exactly 150 career helpers.

Along with the offensive standouts, Celia Kelaher added three caused turnovers, while Taylor Schoolar contributed seven saves. Meanwhile, Emma Jackson led the squad with five draw controls, and Syd Guidi added four to go along with a goal and takeaway.

With the setback, Christopher Newport dropped to 2-3 on the season, while York improved to 2-1.

After the visitors opened the scoring, the Captains had an immediate response. First, on the defensive side, Riley Rafterry-Lee knocked down a pass behind the crease to force a quick turnover before Madi Rozgonyi intercepted a clear attempt to thwart another surge.

With the defense finding its rhythm, the offense also hit its stride. In the sixth minute, Iapicca buried a bullet on the run to knot the score at one. Less than two minutes later, Morrison lofted a teardrop over the crease to Winters. Taking advantage, the senior elevated, caught the pass, and fired in one smooth motion to give the hosts a 2-1 edge.

Although the Spartans answered with back-to-back darts of their own, Christopher Newport closed out the opening stanza with another electric performance on the defensive end. Kelaher helped tie up an attacker along the crease to force an errant pass before a swarm of Captains, led by Morrison, Krause, and Winters, bottled up a clear attempt. Shortly thereafter, Schoolar made a solid save on a tough bouncer to keep the deficit at one entering the second period.

Remaining close, the two squads traded blows early in the second quarter. For the Captains, Guidi put her defender in the spin cycle with a series of dodges before burying on the inside. Moments later, Morrison whistled a one-timer from the eight-meter arc to cut York's lead down to 6-4.

Unfortunately, the tide began to turn after that point. The visitors tossed a late goal on the board to snatch a 7-4 edge entering halftime. Then, after the break, the Spartans converted five straight tallies to secure an eight-goal lead midway through the period.

Still battling, Iapicca carried a defender around the left pipe before depositing on the interior for her second goal. Meanwhile, Hadley Chadwick stoned an on-target rip to help push back against York's onslaught on the defensive end. However, the Spartans continued to attack and eventually stretched their advantage to 17-5 entering the final 15 minutes.

Refusing to go down quietly, Kelaher came back with two caused turnovers at the start of the fourth quarter. The first-year star used a solid check to rip the ball away from an attacker behind the crease before grabbing a bouncer on a failed clear just a few moments later.

Shortly thereafter, Schoolar came through with-back-to-back stops, while Maddie Rusinko jumped a passing lane, intercepted a feed, and tightroped along the end line before storming up the field.

Similar to the defense, the offense also added a few late highlights. With three minutes left in regulation, Winters uncorked an underhand flip to Krause, who sniped on the interior. Later, the fifth-year phenom added the final dagger just before the horn sounded after taking advantage of a fast clear by Rafterry-Lee.

Overall, York (Pa.) held a 35-18 advantage in shots and a 19-10 lead in ground balls. The Spartans also controlled 17 of the game's 28 draws, although the Captains had a 7-6 advantage in the first half.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the team hosts No. 17 Chicago at 4 p.m.

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