GRANVILLE, Ohio -- Knotted at five after the first 30 minutes of action, the 17th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team could not quite keep pace with Denison over the final two quarters as the Big Red strung together six straight goals before securing an 11-7 win on Saturday afternoon during a non-conference tilt at Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium.

After Syd Guidi tied the game at five in the final minute of the first half, Denison outscored the Captains, 4-0, in the third quarter to steal the momentum and grab the victory. Guidi eventually finished the contest with five goals on just seven shots, while Brookelyn Morrison added the other two daggers for CNU.

On the defensive end, Morrison and Julia Iapicca both forced three turnovers apiece. Iapicca also picked up a pair of ground balls, including the 100th of her career. Meanwhile, between the pipes, Hadley Chadwick pocketed eight saves and snatched three rollers of her own.

Also making a little history on Saturday, Emma Jackson led the Captains with four draw controls. With that performance, she moved past CNU Hall of Famer Kaitlin Quigley for the second-most draws in program history. The reigning All-American now has 191 during her decorated career.

With the setback, Christopher Newport fell to 8-4 on the season, while the victory bumped Denison to 6-4.

Early on, CNU got off to a fast start on both ends of the field. Drew Stanley made an outstretched snag on an errant pass in transition to kill off a Denison clear before Guidi landed the opening blow. In the fourth minute, the senior circled around her defender and sent a bouncer through the keeper for a quick 1-0 lead.

Although Denison responded with three straight tallies, the Captains had an answer. After Iapicca punched a ball loose on the defensive end, Madi Rozgonyi jumped on the roller and bolted up the field. Taking advantage, Guidi switched hands, cut around a defender, and burned a blast under the crossbar to pull the visitors back within one.

Looking to respond, the Big Red had multiple scoring opportunities at the end of the opening period, but CNU's defense held tough. Chadwick brushed aside a pair of shots before the hosts earned a free-position attempt. Unfazed by the situation, Blake Hopkins applied immediate pressure along the eight-meter arc and forced an off-target rip. Finishing off the play, Carys May backed up the shot beautifully while boxing out an attacker along the end line to flip possession and keep the deficit at 3-2 after 15 minutes of action.

In the second stanza, the Captains found their rhythm. Just 30 seconds into the new period, Kelsey Winters settled behind the crease and showed great patience while waiting for a cutter to break free. Eventually, Morrison slipped behind the defense, grabbed a feed, and unloaded a high-to-high heater to knot the score at three.

Just four minutes later, the visitors secured the lead. Handling the ball at the top of the zone, Hope Hunter fed a pass to Guidi. After a defender overplayed her position while trying to force a turnover, Guidi snagged the ball with a clear lane to the cage. With a nice look, she buried another bullet under the bar to secure a 4-3 edge.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Jackson suffocated the opposition. During a free-position attempt, she caught up to an attacker and knocked the ball free before Iapicca cleared the zone. Later, with the Big Red searching for an equalizer, Jackson bodied up a player on the interior before jostling the ball loose again to thwart another rally.

Although Denison continued to attack and eventually regained a 5-4 edge, Christopher Newport never relented.

Stepping up on the back end, Chadwick made a kick save before May bullied her way through a crowd to secure the loose ball. Later, May and Hopkins rode an attacker straight into Rozgonyi, who dislodged the ball and jump-started a successful clear.

Entering the final minute of the first half, the Captains worked quickly. In transition, Rozgonyi found Guidi, who sidestepped a defender along the right post before sinking a spinner inside the pipe, which knotted the game at five.

In the second half, the Captains continued to clamp down on the defensive side. During a lengthy rally by the hosts, May tied up a cutter on the inside and added help at the top of the zone to force a shot-clock violation. Later, on another failed eight-meter attempt, Morrison applied just enough pressure to force an off-kilter shot before Chadwick added a shorthanded save.

Moments later, after getting hit with a second card, CNU's back line stepped up with an incredible rally. Maddie Rusinko got into the face of an attacker and caused a shot to spin over the crossbar. Shortly thereafter, she avoided a screen and forced another off-target attempt to help stymie the surge.

Unfortunately, the Big Red remained vigilant on the offensive end. Still fighting, Denison ended the third quarter on a four-goal run before adding back-to-back tallies in the fourth frame to steal an 11-5 edge.

With the game slipping away, the Captains refused to go down quietly. After a successful clear by Morrison, Faith O'Connor pieced together a quick dodge on the left side of the zone, which drew the attention of the defense. With some room to work, the freshman handed possession over to Guidi, who was stationed in the opposite alley.

Taking advantage of a one-on-one, she pushed in, reversed course, spun to her right, and sniped inside the pipe to cut the squad's deficit down to five.

Continuing the late push, the visitors quickly won the ensuing draw before Morrison orchestrated another successful clear. This time, the second-year sensation did the rest herself. She stormed right up the gut and sank a missile on the move less than 30 seconds after Guidi's goal.

With more work left to do, O'Connor came through with a hard-fought draw control, but time was not on CNU's side. Eventually, the final seconds ticked off the clock and put an end to the comeback bid.

Overall, Denison held a 28-21 advantage in shots and a 19-14 lead in ground balls. Meanwhile, both squads came through with 11 draw controls. Stuffing the stat sheet, Morrison had three draws and a pair of rollers to go along with her three takeaways and two goals. 

Christopher Newport will return to action on Sunday when the squad heads to Kenyon for a noon contest.

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