NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Orchestrating one of the finest halves in program history, the 15th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team opened up a 13-goal lead in the first 30 minutes of action before rolling to a 19-4 victory over Rhodes on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

Starring before halftime, CNU outscored the opposition, 14-1, during the first two periods, including an 8-0 margin in the second stanza. The 13-goal advantage equaled the second-highest first-half lead for the Captains since the NCAA switched to 15-minute quarters.

Headlining the action, Brookelyn Morrison had nine draw controls and a career-high seven points, including four goals. With that performance, she became just the fifth player in program history to register at least seven draws and seven points in a single game, joining current teammate Syd Guidi, former All-American Sarah Culver, and CNU Hall of Famers Meaghan Galvin and Kaitlin Quigley.

Adding to her historic performance, Morrison posted three man-up strikes, which marked the most in a single game in school lore.

Aided by that effort, Christopher Newport deposited seven total goals during power-play situations. That also established a new single-game record, topping the five man-up tallies against Adrian on February 26, 2011 and Denison on March 26, 2023.

Along with Morrison, Kelsey Winters posted eight points, including five assists. She now has 220 career helpers, which ranks seventh in Division III history and 17th across all three levels of collegiate lacrosse.

Helping round out a high-powered offensive attack, Guidi added four goals, while Julia Iapicca and Maelyn Eversole had two apiece. Sloane McDonald also handed out a pair of assists as 11 total Captains contributed at least one point during the well-rounded victory.

Defensively, Emma Jackson was a force on the back line. The reigning All-American collected five of Christopher Newport's 14 caused turnovers. That marked the second-highest total of her career, falling just behind her seven-takeaway showcase against No. 8 Washington & Lee on February 22, 2023.

In addition to Jackson, Hadley Chadwick secured six saves during her time between the pipes, while nine different players forced at least one turnover.

With the victory, CNU improved to 5-1 on the season, while the setback dropped Rhodes to 1-3.

Facing a veteran-laden squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, the hosts jumped out to a quick lead. Opening the action, Eversole made an outstretched snag on a feed by Winters before whipping a one-timer past the keeper just 80 seconds into regulation. Moments later, Guidi circled through a pair of defenders before snapping a sidewinder around the hip of a third player for the squad's second dart.

Continuing the early-game action, Iapicca joined the fun after beating the shot-clock with a bullet in the fifth minute before Guidi added her second dagger of the opening period to steal a 4-0 lead.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Jackson suffocated the opposition. First, she jumped a passing lane and picked off a feed with a clean interception near the crease. Moments later, she drove an attacker into the ground to force another turnover before pouncing on a last-second, desperation heave just before the shot clock expired during Rhodes' ensuing push.

Although the Lynx finally broke through with three minutes left in the opening stanza, Christopher Newport retaliated. Showing patience while moving the ball around the zone, McDonald eventually connected with Winters, who curled around the cage and snapped off a submarine shot inside the left post. Then, Hope Hunter lofted a floater to Guidi, who slapped it out of the air for a 6-1 lead at the end of the opening frame.

Continuing to stretch their lead in the second quarter, the Captains scored four times in the first three minutes. Morrison deposited a high-to-low laser just 30 seconds into the period. Then, after Rhodes attempted to clear the defensive end, McDonald and Winters applied pressure in the left corner and eventually forced an errant pass, which clanked off the stick of the Lynx goalie.

Scooping up the roller, Winters collected the ground ball and showed incredible vision with a lengthy assist to Guidi, who fired into the empty net.

Still carving up the defense, Winters added two more assists after connecting with Morrison and Iapicca during a 20-second window. The final helper of that stretch was especially impressive as Iapicca had a defender draped on her back, but Winters dropped a dime that allowed her teammate to catch the pass and deposit a seed all in one motion along the right post.

After serving as the facilitator, Winters flashed her finishing skills as well. In the 21st minute, she earned a free-position attempt and launched a liner from the center hash for her second goal. Less than two minutes later, she took a flip from Morrison and snapped off an absolute missile that nearly cut through the back of the net during a man-up situation.

Just as effective on the other side, Chadwick snuffed out an eight-meter attempt by the visitors, while Eleanor Collins added a leaping interception on a failed clear near midfield. Kate Lamendola also came away with a hard-fought takeaway during a scrum in the center of the zone that saw her snatch a loose ball while taking a stick to the head.

Meanwhile, the offense never lost its rhythm. Madi Rozgonyi shrugged off a violent encounter inside the arc before depositing a free-position attempt. Then, after another save by Chadwick, Maddie Lamy slipped a pass around a defender who was stationed in the right alley. On the receiving end, Morrison caught the feed and landed her record-setting third man-up goal of the period.

Staring at a 14-1 deficit entering the break, Rhodes opened the scoring in the second half before the Captains went back to work. In the 34th minute, Emilie Shoults ducked underneath the stick of a defender while depositing along the left pipe during a free-position attempt. Later, after Gabby Saia made a nice play to pick off a clear attempt along the right sideline, Morrison slipped a sidearm feed to Lamy, who circled around the right post for CNU's 16th tally.

Still clamping down on the defensive end, Rozgonyi forced an errant pass late in the period with tight coverage on an attacker on the right side of the field. Later, Lamy killed off another clear after applying pressure on a midfielder to thwart Rhodes' final rally of the quarter.

With little left to prove, Christopher Newport eased into the victory. On the offensive end, Morrison found herself isolated one-on-one at the top of the zone during CNU's first surge of the fourth frame. Showing off her athleticism, she simply sidestepped her defender, burst inside, cut around a second player, and converted on the interior.

Moments later, Morrison came back with a gorgeous feed to Eversole, who capitalized on the doorstep. Then, in the 53rd minute, Lamendola took advantage of a screen by Blake Hopkins to find some open space along the right alley for the team's final tally.

While the offense was adding some fourth-quarter highlights, the defense continued to shine as well. Early on, Jackson plucked a roller off the turf and jump-started a quick clear before bottling up another rally on the left side of the field. Later, Campbell Cabaniss did a great job to strip an attacker and collect a loose ball along the right post while thwarting Rhodes' last surge of the contest.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 31-11 advantage in shots and a 14-12 edge in ground balls. Meanwhile, the two squads split the game's 26 draws. Along with her five takeaways, Jackson had four ground balls, while Winters and Cayden Grasso had two apiece.

CNU will return to action on Wednesday when the Captains host Widener at 5 p.m.

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