NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Deadlocked late in the third quarter after leading by as many as three goals in the first half, the 21st-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team could not quite sustain the momentum as No. 5 Salisbury fought back and stole an 18-11 victory during the regular season finale on Saturday at Sea Gull Stadium.

Fighting for 60 minutes, the Captains gave the Sea Gulls all that they could handle. Pacing the attack, Syd Guidi landed four goals for CNU, while Brookelyn Morrison, Kelsey Winters, and Julia Iapicca all had two daggers apiece. Maelyn Eversole also sank a go-ahead goal in the first period, which helped give the visitors some early momentum.

Making some history with their work on Saturday, Winters became just the 16th player in NCAA Division III history to reach 400 career points, while Morrison sank her 10th career man-up goal. That broke the all-time program record of nine set by CNU Hall of Famer Ashton Marshall from 2011-14 and matched by former All-American Sarah Culver from 2016-19.

Additionally, Morrison's man-up goal was her sixth of the season, which also set a new school record. Meanwhile, Guidi recorded her 50th goal and 50th draw of the year on Saturday. She became just the third Captain to record 50 of both in a single season, joining Culver (2018) and CNU Hall of Famer Kaitlin Quigley (2011).

Unfortunately, the historic efforts were not quite enough to overcome the high-powered Sea Gull attack. Salisbury eventually broke a 10-10 deadlock late in the third quarter and out-scored the Captains, 8-1, over the final 17 minutes to secure the come-from-behind victory.

With the setback, Christopher Newport dropped to 12-5 on the season, while the victory bumped Salisbury to 13-3 and handed the Sea Gulls the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

Setting the tone early, Blake Hopkins helped kill off Salisbury's first surge with tight defense in the right alley before the offense went to work. Taking advantage of a pick by Eversole, Guidi darted inside and landed the opening blow just 90 seconds into regulation.

After another lengthy defensive stand, which included a save from Hadley Chadwick and a trail-check from Morrison, the Captains stretched their lead. Following her work on the back end, Morrison earned a free-position attempt and fired a blast inside the right post to snatch a 2-0 edge.

From there, the two squads engaged in a seesaw affair. Trading the next five goals, the Sea Gulls deposited their first three tallies of the game, while CNU continued to foster its lead. Isolated with a defender behind the cage, Winters spun back and forth to create some space before unleashing a turnaround jumper along the right post. Shortly thereafter, Guidi circled around a crowd and landed a screamer under the crossbar.

Although the hosts eventually knotted the score at four in the 10th minute, Christopher Newport retaliated. First, on the back end, Chadwick made a tremendous save on a point-blank rip after a ball skipped free on the interior. Then, on the offensive side, the Captains hung a pair of goals on the board.

Kicking off the late surge, Eversole blew a worm-burner through Salisbury's keeper on a free-position attempt. Moments later, Iapicca continued the assault after sidestepping a defender at the top of the zone before bouncing another dart into the back of the cage, which gave the Captains a 6-4 advantage.

Keeping the momentum early in the second period, Guidi kicked off the scoring with a laser into the top left corner off an eight-meter shot.

Trading blows, Salisbury answered before Winters came back with her second strike. This time, the fifth-year All-American rolled through the defense, lowered her shoulder, avoided a second defender, and pumped a screamer inside the left post for an 8-5 edge.

Firing back, the Sea Gulls strung together three straight goals at the end of the first half to even the score at eight entering the break.

Looking to respond in the third period, Guidi starred in the opening minute. After securing the initial draw off a flip from Morrison, the senior standout found an opening. Triple-teamed on the offensive end, she pushed to her left, cut back, circled two defenders, and avoided a late slide before scoring in the midst of a crowd to snatch a 9-8 lead.

Although the hosts knotted the game again, Eleanor Collins secured the ensuing draw after winning possession while pinned to the right sideline. After the Sea Gulls were hit with a card, the Captains took advantage of the man-up situation. Drawing a second defender towards the left alley, Winters created space in the center of the zone, which allowed Morrison to slip free and sink the squad's 10th strike.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Emma Jackson swallowed an attacker behind the crease, while Gabby Saia made an out-stretched snag on an errant feed before Madi Rozgonyi came away with the loose ball. Chadwick also made a pair of saves, including a clutch stop on a free-position attempt.

Sadly, the Sea Gulls continued to attack. Eventually, the hosts landed the final three goals of the third period to grab a 12-10 lead entering the fourth frame. Then, Salisbury stretched its lead to four in the first six minutes of the final stanza.

Refusing to back down, Iapicca outran a defender while circling inside before depositing a missile on the move. Later, she wrestled possession away from a Sea Gull during a last-minute defensive stand, but Salisbury had enough leeway to close out the come-from-behind victory.

Overall, Salisbury held a 43-16 advantage in shots and a 12-11 lead in ground balls. The hosts also secured 21 of the game's 33 draws. For the Captains, Morrison and Guidi both had four draw controls, while Collins and Iapicca added two apiece. Iapicca also notched four ground balls and a pair of takeaways to round out a well-balanced performance.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday at 5 p.m. when the squad hosts Mary Washington in the league semifinals at Jennings Family Stadium.

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