NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- With the score tied after the first 15 minutes of action, the 15th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team found its rhythm and pieced together an epic assault over the final three quarters as the Captains surged past Widener, 18-5, on a picturesque Wednesday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.

Syd Guidi led the Captains with six goals, including the go-ahead strike less than two minutes into the second stanza. Meanwhile, Brookelyn Morrison starred on both ends of the field with six points and six caused turnovers, becoming the first Captain in school history to record six of each in a single outing.

Helping feed the potent attack, Kelsey Winters handed out five assists. With that performance, she moved to 13th in NCAA history with 225 career helpers. Placing her name alongside some of the finest standouts in the history of collegiate lacrosse, she vaulted past four players on the all-time list on Wednesday, including two-time Tewaaraton Award winner and current Michigan head coach Hannah Nielsen, who had 224 assists at Northwestern from 2006-09.

Rounding out the high-volume scorers, freshman Page Henry collected a hat-trick after depositing the first three goals of her collegiate career. Julia Iapicca also contributed four points, including three assists.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 6-1 on the season, while the setback dropped Widener to 3-5.

Although the Pride landed the first two goals of the game, CNU whistled for a timeout and regrouped during the stoppage. Moments after the break, Emma Jackson snatched the ensuing draw before Guidi burned a free-position shot inside the right post for the squad's first goal.

Looking to pull even, Maelyn Eversole deflected a pass on a failed clear attempt before Morrison cleaned up the play after snatching the loose ball near midfield. Pushing the tempo, Winters dropped a floater over the crease to Sloane McDonald, who caught the feed and buried a blast under the bar to knot the score at two.

Moments later, Winters came back with another dime as the reigning All-American found Eversole cutting through the defense, which handed the hosts a 3-2 edge.

Although Widener tied the game just before the end of the first quarter, Christopher Newport bounced back in the second stanza. With the shot-clock in single digits, the Captains picked up the pace. At the top of the zone, Hope Hunter flipped a feed to Guidi, who reached back and whipped a one-timer past the keeper for her second strike of the contest.

Once again, the Pride evened the score before CNU took control with a lethal assault. First, in the 20th minute, Morrison and Winters ran a perfect give-and-go. With a defender in her face, Morrison gave up possession before blowing past her mark, snatching the return feed, and capitalizing on the interior.

Back on top, the Captains continued to surge. During the middle of the period, Guidi broke out a slick spin move in the center of the zone on the way to her third goal before adding a fourth after sidestepping a defender near the top of the zone. Meanwhile, Iapicca converted an eight-meter attempt, while Drew Stanley cleaned up some trash along the right post after grabbing a deflection off an initial shot before dunking over the goalie.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Madi Rozgonyi came through with a fantastic strip along the crease after an attacker attempted to slip underneath her near the left pipe. Morrison also dislodged the ball from an opponent's stick before taking a vicious check to draw a card in the waning moments of the half. Later, Iapicca killed off a clear with a point-blank interception during a suffocating ride near midfield.

After punctuating the first half with a 9-4 lead, Christopher Newport stretched its advantage to double-digits with another rally early in the third period. Morrison opened the action less than 90 seconds into the new stanza before Guidi landed back-to-back blows, including a hustle play that saw her collect her own rebound before sinking a second-chance opportunity.

In the 36th minute, Henry joined the fun. After Winters dodged two defenders and switched hands during a curl behind the crease, she found her freshman teammate dancing on the doorstep for a 13-4 lead.

Following a Widener timeout, Hadley Chadwick stoned a free-position attempt before Hunter sniped a man-up missile, which gave the Captains a double-digit advantage.

Although the Pride pulled back within nine, Christopher Newport regained the running clock with a highlight-reel play in the final seconds of the period. Facing pressure from a Widener defender, Guidi floated a pass inside to Morrison. Although the ball deflected off Morrison's stick and bounced off the turf, it popped up perfectly in front of the second-year star. Without ever cradling the ball, she simply swatted it out of the air for her third goal of the contest.

Following a highlight on the offensive end, Morrison opened the fourth quarter with a series of top-notch efforts on the back side. First, she applied pressure to an attacker on Widener's first possession, which caused a pass to sail out of bounds. Moments later, she punched the ball free with a check at the top of the zone before intercepting a pass for her third takeaway in five minutes.

On her final strip, she snatched the ground ball and sent a pass to Iapicca, who burned up the field on a quick clear during a shorthanded situation. With the defense struggling to catch up, Iapicca found Henry, who stopped on a dime, cut back, and sniped from the center of the field.

Continuing to attack, Henry completed her hat-trick with a laser inside the left post before Morrison put a fitting punctuation mark on her historic evening. After collecting a pass from Blake Hopkins while sprinting across the zone, she never broke stride before firing a seed into the back of the net for the game's final goal.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 35-8 advantage in shots and a 16-9 lead in ground balls. The Captains also controlled 18 of the game's 26 draws. On an individual level, Iapicca collected four rollers, Jackson had seven draws, and Chadwick finished with three saves to earn the win.

CNU will continue its homestand on Saturday when the Captains host Haverford at noon.

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