NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Breaking one of the most incredible records in program history, Kelsey Winters established the school's career assists mark while leading the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team during a hard-fought 6-4 setback against No. 16 Chicago on a windy Wednesday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

Against the Maroons, Winters landed her 151st career assist with a pinpoint feed in the second quarter. That moved her past Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Meghan Harkey for the top spot in program history. Harkey collected 150 helpers during her decorated career from 2008-11.

In her tenure with the Captains, Winters has now posted at least one assist in 42 of her 46 career appearances. Along the way, she has dished out dimes against 23 different programs while connecting with 18 different players. Along with owning the career record, she also set the single-season standard with 66 helpers as a junior in 2022. Additionally, she owns three of the school's top-five single-game outputs.

Alongside Winters, Julia Iapicca had a pair of goals on Wednesday, while Hope Hunter and Syd Guidi had one strike apiece. Meanwhile, on the other end of the field, the Captains were simply fantastic.

Facing off against the fifth-ranked defense in the nation, Christopher Newport matched the Maroons throughout the 60-minute battle. The Captains forced 12 turnovers, including two apiece by Iapicca, Kendall Krause, and Emma Jackson. Hadley Chadwick also came through with a career-high 12 saves while adding four ground balls.

Chadwick's 12 stops equaled the most by a Captain since 2021 and marked the highest-total by a freshman since Becca Creekmore turned away 16 shots against Messiah on March 7, 2020.

With the setback, Christopher Newport dropped to 2-4 on the season, while the victory bumped Chicago to 4-0.

Facing a daunting defensive unit, the Captains hammered away in the early moments of the game. Less than 90 seconds into regulation, Iapicca found an opening. Late in the shot clock, she found herself isolated on the right side of the field. Staring at three defenders, the senior simply circled around the zone before lacing a screamer inside the left pipe for the game's first tally.

Six minutes later, the hosts came back for more. Despite facing a shorthanded situation after the team was hit with a card, Christopher Newport capitalized on a quick transition. After Jackson pounced on a pass, she bolted up the field on a fast break.

With the defense struggling to catch up, Jackson handed possession over to Winters. Pushing the tempo, Winters flipped the ball to Brookelyn Morrison, who shoveled it across to Hunter. With a clean look, the senior kissed the right pipe with a rocket to give the hosts a 2-0 advantage.

While the offense was humming along, the defense was equally effective. Early on, Madi Rozgonyi bullied a midfielder along the left sideline to force a turnover. Later, Riley Rafterry-Lee charged up the field and grabbed an errant pass on a failed clear by the visitors before Chadwick made back-to-back saves on the doorstep to help kill off another rally by the Maroons.

Although Chicago managed to slap a goal on the board late in the first quarter, Christopher Newport carried a 2-1 lead into the second stanza. With more work to be done, the Captains continued to look sharp on both sides of the ball with a fresh 15 minutes on the clock.

First, on the defensive end, Rafterry-Lee pieced together an excellent ride along the circle to force a pass, which Hunter knocked down on the inside. After a successful clear, Iapicca took advantage on the other end with a missile on a free-position attempt to secure a 3-1 lead.

Less than two minutes later, Winters joined the fun with her record-setting assist. After working her way out to the left side of the field, the senior All-American drew the attention of three defenders. With little room to work, she still found a seam and slipped a perfect feed through the wall of Maroons.

On the receiving end, Guidi caught the pass and blistered home her 10th goal of the year to grab a 4-1 advantage.

Leading by three, the defense continued to shine. Krause came through with a pair of takeaways, including a huge play that saw her close out quickly on an attacker who slipped free on the right side of the zone. Later, Guidi and Morrison both had strips on failed clear attempts, while Maddie Rusinko snared a loose ball on the interior during a lengthy surge by Chicago, which helped keep a 4-1 lead entering the break.

Following halftime, Christopher Newport's defense continued to stand tall. Chadwick made a fantastic save on a turnaround bullet during another shorthanded situation. Minutes later, Jackson ate up a spin move along the crease before jostling the ball free, which Chadwick corralled.

Unfortunately, Chicago continued to attack. Despite facing fervent opposition by the Captains, the Maroons managed to notch three unanswered goals in the period to knot the score at four entering the final 15 minutes.

Sadly, the visitors kept the momentum in the final period. Chicago immediately broke the deadlock in the 47th minute. Although Chadwick remained sturdy between the pipes, including a clutch save on a free-position attempt, Christopher Newport could not quite fight back. On the other end, the Maroons' keeper had three stops of her own in the fourth quarter, including two on eight-meter attempts by Hunter and Winters.

Despite battling until the bitter end, the Captains eventually surrendered one more goal in the waning moments of regulation to wrap up the 6-4 setback.

Overall, Chicago held a 27-20 advantage in shots and a 27-17 lead in ground balls. Meanwhile, Christopher Newport controlled eight of the 14 draws as Iapicca and Jackson collected four apiece.

The Captains will remain at home on Saturday when the team hosts No. 14 Messiah at noon.

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