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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Kicking off the longest homestand in program history, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team will host Shenandoah in a non-conference tilt beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Jennings Family Stadium.
Coming into the weekend, Christopher Newport sits at 2-1 on the season, including 1-1 at home. Meanwhile, Shenandoah also boasts a 2-1 record and a 1-1 mark on the road.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
Saturday's contest will kick off a program-record seven-game homestand, topping five-game stretches during the 2009 and 2011 campaigns.
The Captains are coming off of a thrilling 15-14 victory at No. 24 Haverford last Saturday. During that match-up, Christopher Newport overcame a five-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory. That equaled the second-largest comeback in school history and the finest effort in a road game.
Leading the way,
Kelsey Winters chipped in with a team-high five points, while
Brookelyn Morrison and
Julia Iapicca added hat-tricks. Morrison landed the game-winning strike with three minutes left in regulation after Iapicca netted the equalizer just 30 seconds earlier.
Paige Williams also had two points during the comeback and notched a takeaway in the final 90 seconds, which sealed the win.
Aided by her work over the weekend, Winters enters Saturday with 146 career assists, placing her just four away from the program record set by Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Meghan Harkey from 2008-11.
Kendall Krause is also inching towards history of her own as the fifth-year senior is just three points shy of her 100th career tally.
So far this season, Winters ranks 11th in the NCAA with 10 assists, while
Emma Jackson is eighth with 12 caused turnovers. As a team, Christopher Newport is averaging 16.33 takeaways-per-game, which stands as the 11th-best rate in the country.
Shenandoah comes into Saturday following a 13-5 setback at Mary Washington last weekend. However, that loss came on the heels of a pair of double-digit victories at the start of the season. The Hornets opened the year by knocking off Meredith, 17-5, and McDaniel, 17-7.
On an individual level, Shenandoah has been led by Emma Stiffler, who ranks 16th in the NCAA with nine assists. Meanwhile, Ainsley Buckner has a team-high 10 goals while helping the Hornets rank 17th in the country with a .542 shooting percentage. Gabriella Raspanti also has eight strikes, while Julianna Fohner leads the defense with seven caused turnovers.
In 24 previous meetings between the two programs, Christopher Newport holds a 20-4 edge in the series. Shenandoah won last year's tilt, 7-6, in overtime.
Lindsay Connell posted a pair of points for the Captains in that showdown, including an assist on the game-tying goal with 12 seconds left in regulation. However, Raspanti responded in the extra session with the clincher in the 62nd minute.
After this weekend, Christopher Newport will welcome No. 12 York (Pa.) to town on March 11 at 3 p.m.
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