GAMBIER, Ohio -- Sloane McDonald netted her 100th career point, while three Captains added hat-tricks as the 17th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team stormed past Kenyon, 21-10, on Sunday afternoon during a non-conference contest on The Field at Benson Bowl.

Against the Owls, McDonald collected two goals and a pair of assists, including the 100th point of her tenure. She became just the 27th player in program history to reach that benchmark. Meanwhile, she also contributed a takeaway and played relentless defense on clears to slow down Kenyon's transition opportunities.

Along with McDonald, Julia Iapicca netted a game-high six goals, while Syd Guidi notched her fifth consecutive hat-trick after adding five strikes of her own. Hope Hunter also landed three blows in the second half to help stretch a five-goal lead into a decisive victory.

Helping set up the attack, Kelsey Winters contributed six assists. With that performance, she became just the fifth player in the history of collegiate lacrosse to reach 250 career helpers. In that exclusive club, she joined LIU Post's Jackie Sileo (369), Rhodes' Emily Bruner (275), Adelphi's Alison Johnson (261), and Limestone's Shannon Sisk (261).

On the Division III charts, she now slots second all-time, trailing only Bruner's 275 career assists.

With the victory, CNU improved to 9-4 on the season, while the setback dropped Kenyon to 4-4.

Although the Owls slipped out to an early 2-0 lead, Christopher Newport quickly turned the tables. Clamping down on the defensive end, Madi Rozgonyi broke up a pass along the crease before Carys May jumped on the loose ball. Later, Blake Hopkins won possession in the middle of a crowd during a subsequent surge, while Hadley Chadwick made a difficult save on a blast towards the bottom right corner of the cage.

On the other end, the offense found its rhythm. Iapicca opened the action after stepping around a defender before firing a dart through contact for the squad's first goal. Then, with Guidi and Eleanor Collins dominating the draw, CNU capitalized on the extra possessions with a lethal assault.

Iapicca evened the score with a man-up tally before Winters assisted on back-to-back rips, including a slick feed to McDonald, who cruised around the left post. Moments later, Guidi slipped around a defender during a one-on-one match-up for her first goal before Hunter ran a pick that opened up space for Iapicca on the way to a 6-2 edge.

Meanwhile, the defense continued to suffocate the opposition. Chadwick walled off the right pipe on a free-position attempt, while Rozgonyi came through with a leaping interception to kill off a shorthanded situation in the final moments of the first quarter.

The defensive domination continued early in the second stanza. On an eight-meter attempt, Brookelyn Morrison deflected a shot at the top of the arc before Chadwick pocketed the save. Later, May drove a midfielder across the left sideline to kill off a clear in the 17th minute.

On the offensive side, McDonald carved up the Owls with two straight assists. She threaded a feed through traffic to Collins, who scored on the interior. Later, she added a looping assist to Iapicca, who burned a blast under the crossbar for an 8-2 lead.

Although Kenyon fought back in the middle of the period and chipped the deficit down to four, CNU never relented on either side of the field. Defensively, Morrison dropped the hammer on an attacker to punch the ball free on a dangerous surge before checking possession away from a midfielder after a successful draw by the Owls. Iapicca also came through with a gorgeous strip after shutting down a dodge along the crease.

On the other side, Guidi cruised past a defender in the right alley before sinking a missile on the move. Later in the period, Collins cashed in on a second-chance opportunity with relentless work on the interior. After a scrum broke out between seven players searching for a loose ball along the crease, the senior won the battle and secured the roller. Then, she took advantage of her height after firing a tracer over the wall of players for a 10-5 lead entering the break.

Similar to the first half, Kenyon scored the first two goals of the third quarter before Christopher Newport fired back. Iapicca opened the response with a sensational play. Flanked by a defender, she made an outstretched snag on a high feed. Without a clean shot, she circled behind the cage with a second defender in tow before finding McDonald, who scored along the left post.

Continuing the surge, Guidi put a defender in the spin cycle. Finding herself isolated with an Owl, she pushed left, cut back to her right, and converted a 360-spin to spiral free on the way to a 12-7 lead.  

Although the hosts answered with their eighth goal, Christopher Newport fostered a comfortable lead with solid work all over the field. Rozgonyi came through with a tough ride to prevent an open look before Chadwick stoned an elevated blast. Maddie Rusinko also provided solid help defense at the top of the zone to stymie an ensuing surge, while Page Henry killed off a clear attempt after walling off the right sideline.

Later in the period, CNU came through with a pair of lengthy defensive stands. On the first Kenyon rally, Iapicca and Jackson both jostled balls loose before Morrison won a race for a roller to flip the field. Then, on the next push by the Owls, Hopkins prevented a roll along the left alley, May thwarted a rush on the right side, and Rozgonyi came away with a ground ball.

Meanwhile, the offense continued to hammer away. In the middle of the period, Hunter earned a second-chance opportunity for the attack after fighting through a crowd to secure a ground ball. Seconds later, Morrison and Winters ran a give-and-go as the second-year star buried a return feed on the inside for a 13-8 advantage.

After doing the dirty work on the previous strike, Hunter turned a fast-break into her first goal of the contest with a turnaround tracer off a feed from Winters. A few moments later, she contributed her second tally with a free-position dart, while Drew Stanley joined the fun with a power-play bullet to capture a 16-8 lead at the end of the third quarter.

In the final stanza, Hunter completed her hat-trick after skipping a screamer through the Kenyon keeper. Shortly thereafter, Guidi landed back-to-back bullets, including a shorthanded strike that saw her split a pair of Owls on a run through the right alley. Iapicca also snapped off her sixth strike, while Maelyn Eversole wrapped up the scoring after beating the horn with a snipe along the right post.

Putting a fitting punctuation mark on the well-rounded showcase, the Captains also starred on the back end. Morrison snatched an errant feed in the middle of a mob to kill off Kenyon's initial threat of the period. Later, May bullied an attacker into an off-kilter shot with physical play along the right pipe, while Rusinko slapped down a skip pass along the opposite post to handle a surge in the middle of the stanza.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 30-23 advantage in shots and a 19-13 edge in ground balls. Meanwhile, Kenyon led the way on draws, 19-15. On an individual level, Iapicca scooped up three rollers to go along with her offensive highlights, while Guidi added four draws. Between the pipes, Chadwick finished with seven saves to earn the win.

CNU will return to action on April 6 when the Captains travel to Rowan for a noon test in Glassboro, New Jersey.

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