Live Stats // Video Stream

GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- The 24th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team will open up the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 2 p.m. when the Captains battle Johnson & Wales (R.I.) in a first-round showdown at Gettysburg's Clark Field.

Entering the weekend, Christopher Newport sits at 11-8 overall and secured an at-large bid to the playoffs after placing second in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference. Meanwhile, Johnson & Wales is 16-2 and earned an automatic berth to the tournament after claiming the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship.

For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at GettysburgSports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.

Christopher Newport will be making its first appearance in the national playoffs since advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2013. Overall, the program has now reached the tournament nine times after previously winning eight consecutive USA South Championships from 2006-13. This year's squad is the first to secure an at-large bid.

During the regular season, the Captains faced one of the toughest schedules in the country. The squad's opposition finished with a combined .684 winning percentage during the year, which marked the ninth-highest of any team in the nation. Additionally, Christopher Newport's regular season foes compiled 223 total wins in 2023. No team faced a more successful collection of opponents than the Captains did. Franklin & Marshall's opposition combined for 221 wins, the second most in the NCAA.

Overall, the Captains squared off against nine teams that advanced to the national playoffs, including seven conference champions and six programs ranked in the top-20 of the latest IWLCA National Coaches Poll. Among the squad's top wins, Christopher Newport beat Denison, Meredith, and St. Mary's, who all claimed league titles. Meanwhile, the team also beat Haverford, who was ranked 24th at the time and finished the year receiving votes in the national rankings.

Boasting a well-balanced attack, the 2023 Captains have seven players with more than 20 points, marking the first time since 2013 that the program has featured such a diverse group of offensive standouts. Among the headliners, Kelsey Winters was honored as the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and is approaching several historic milestones.

The fourth-year phenom is only two assists shy of reaching 200 for her career. She would become just the 29th player in the history of collegiate lacrosse - and only the 14th at the Division III level - to reach that plateau. Overall this season, she ranks third in the NCAA with 62 assists and 25th with 98 points. She is just two points away from becoming the third Captain to post 100 in a single campaign, joining Christopher Newport Hall of Famers Meghan Harkey and Kaitlin Quigley.

With five assists, Winters would also break her own single-season program record of 66 set last year.

Among other fast-approaching milestones, Kendall Krause is three goals away from 100 for her career. The program's all-time leader in starts and games played, she is also just one takeaway shy of matching the most by a midfielder in school history. Former teammate Sam Wettengel caused 79 turnovers from 2017-21.

In addition to the senior standouts, junior Emma Jackson is three ground balls away from becoming the 20th Captain to secure 100 in her career. Freshman Brookelyn Morrison is also closing in on history. The Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year has started all 19 games this season. No freshman has ever started 20 games in a single campaign.

Along with Winters and Morrison, who earned the league's top individual honors, four other Captains were also selected to the first-team All-Conference squad for their work during the regular season. Jackson, Syd Guidi, Julia Iapicca, and Riley Rafterry-Lee were all celebrated for their efforts. Overall, the six first-team honorees equaled the most in program history, matching the award-winning haul in 2008.

Johnson & Wales comes into the national playoffs on a 15-game winning streak, which stands as the third-longest active run in the country. The Wildcats punched their ticket to the tournament after knocking off Saint Joseph's (Maine), 10-6, in the GNAC Championship on May 6. Leading the team to its fifth conference title in program history, Taina Gamory recorded five points, including a hat-trick, while Katie Sloan had two goals and a pair of takeaways.

Dominating possession, Johnson & Wales ranks fourth in the nation in draw control percentage with a .646 mark. Equally impressive in all facets of the game, the Wildcats are also 13th in scoring defense (6.78 goals-against-average) and 20th in points-per-game (24.00). On an individual level, Gamory is fifth in the NCAA with 60 assists and sixth with 116 points. Meanwhile, Emma Glyman ranks eighth in save percentage (.544) and 15th in goals-against-average (7.15).

Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between Johnson & Wales and Christopher Newport. The winner of the contest will advance to the second round of the tournament for a date with No. 9 Gettysburg on Sunday at 2 p.m.

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