RALEIGH, N.C. -- Dominating all phases of the game, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team secured an early lead and never looked back as the Captains raced past Meredith, 15-2, on Wednesday evening in a non-conference showdown at the Meredith Turf Field.

On the offensive end, Kelsey Winters matched her season-high with nine points. The reigning All-American handed out six assists, which equaled the 10th-highest total by a Captain. With that performance, she also climbed into the top-25 in NCAA Division III history in career assists. The senior star now has 182 helpers, which places her 22nd on the all-time charts.

Along with Winters, Brookelyn Morrison and Julia Iapicca also contributed hat-tricks, while Maelyn Eversole and Kendall Krause chipped in with multi-goal efforts. Incredibly, all of that came against a defense that had posted three consecutive shutouts and entered the game ranked in the top-30 nationally in goals-against-average.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Christopher Newport surrendered only 10 shots against the high-powered Meredith attack. The Captains generated 22 turnovers, including two takeaways apiece by Krause, Iapicca, and Sloane McDonald.

Christopher Newport also controlled possession while starring on the draw. The visitors won 16 of the 21 battles, including a career-high eight draw controls by Hope Hunter. Morrison also added five, while Emma Jackson secured the 150th of her career. She became just the sixth player in program history to reach that milestone.

With the win, the Captains improved to 8-6 on the season, while the setback dropped Meredith to 11-4.

From the outset, Winters led an early onslaught that allowed the Captains to secure a quick lead. She assisted on a pair of daggers by Iapicca, who continued to slip free on cuts up the left alley. Winters also added a strike of her own after ripping a rocket just under the crossbar, which helped the visitors snatch a 3-0 lead.

With an early edge, the defense clamped down on the Meredith attack. Punctuating a lengthy defensive stand by the Captains, Krause jumped a passing lane and knocked down a feed, which Jackson quickly corralled. Moments later, after the Avenging Angels returned to the offensive zone, Hunter rode an attacker along the left pipe before stripping possession and killing off the surge.

Meanwhile, Winters never lost her touch on the other side of the field. Pushing the lead to 4-0, she flipped a pass over the outstretched stick of a defender. On the receiving end, Krause caught the feed while bolting up the center of the zone for her first tally.

Although Meredith managed to crack the scoreboard following a timeout, Christopher Newport continued its eruption in the second stanza.

Headlining the early portion of the period, Morrison controlled the opening draw, pushed up the field, and handed possession to Eversole, who stopped, spun, and whistled a one-timer around a defender. Later, Morrison came back with the squad's sixth goal as the freshman circled to her right and fired a bullet between a pair of Avenging Angels.

The defense continued to shine as well. Keeping Meredith's transition game in check, McDonald cut off a clear along the left sideline before Iapicca and Morrison halted another rally on the opposite side with a double-team. Meanwhile, on the back end, Maddie Rusinko swatted a pass on the interior, Maddie Tomaszewski got her stick on a shooter to force an errant shot, and Hadley Chadwick swallowed a pair of bouncers in the crease.

Rounding out the first-half highlights, Winters came back with one more assist as she dropped a dime over the cage to Iapicca, who immediately capitalized along the right pipe.

Continuing the defensive domination in the second half, Chadwick made back-to-back saves after stoning a worm-burner on a free-position attempt before snatching an elevated blast just moments later. Then, on Meredith's next trip down the field, Madi Rozgonyi ate up a dodge at the top of the zone and forced an attacker to rush a pass, which Krause quickly collected.

Kick-starting a clear, Krause shuffled the ball to Iapicca, who connected with Morrison. Bursting up the field, the freshman eventually tossed control to McDonald, who deposited the team's first goal of the second half.

Just over a minute later, Winters stared down a pair of defenders at the top of the zone. With the players focused on the ball, Krause wiggled through the wall, caught a pass, and blistered a shot on the interior for her second goal.

Looking for more, Christopher Newport capitalized on another break in the final minute of the third quarter. Sprinting up the field in transition, Iapicca tossed the ball to Winters while clearing out a lane in the center of the circle. Following close behind, Morrison eventually grabbed the return feed and ripped a rocket on the run, which gave the visitors a 10-1 edge entering the fourth stanza.

In the final frame, McDonald helped the team secure a double-digit advantage. Showing off her agility and concentration, the junior standout made a leaping catch while toeing the end line to keep a pass from slipping out-of-bounds. After saving the possession, she found Hunter scooting inside for the squad's 11th goal.

Although Meredith momentarily responded and cut the deficit back down to nine, Christopher Newport had an answer. Jackson and Celia Kelaher pressured an attacker on the defensive end and helped generate a turnover before Morrison scurried up the right sideline and landed a tracer in transition. Less than two minutes later, Jackson swiped the ball from a midfielder and prompted another quick transition, which resulted in Winters' second strike.

Capping off the offensive heroics, Winters completed her hat-trick after spinning through a defender at the top of the zone before Eversole drove home the final nail with a screamer inside the right pipe.

Looking to close out the contest, Laci Welch prevented an attacker from rolling across the top of the arc while bottling up a last-minute rally. Shortly thereafter, Jackson got in the way of a shooter on a free-position attempt, which allowed Taylor Schoolar to clean up on the back end and punctuate the 15-2 win.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 33-10 advantage in shots and a 22-14 lead in ground balls. On an individual level, Jackson led the way with four rollers, while Krause and Chadwick added three apiece.

The Captains will return to action on Saturday when the team travels to Mary Washington for a Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference test at 4 p.m.

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