Live Stats // Video Stream
SALISBURY, Md. -- Contending for league supremacy this weekend, the 21st-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team will travel to No. 5 Salisbury for the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship, which will be hosted at Sea Gull Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Entering the title bout, CNU sits at 13-5 after knocking off Mary Washington in the league semifinals on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Salisbury comes into the weekend with a 13-3 record. The Sea Gulls earned the top seed in the tournament and received a bye into Saturday's championship.
For those fans unable to attend the game, Salisbury will provide live stats and a video stream of the action at SUSeaGulls.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
Saturday's battle will mark the fourth straight league championship featuring the Sea Gulls and Captains. The two teams have met for the conference title every year since 2021, including a 14-8 victory by Salisbury last season.
Christopher Newport earned a return trip to the championship game after taking down Mary Washington in a semifinal showdown on Wednesday. Building a five-goal halftime lead, the Captains had enough cushion to survive a late rally by the Eagles while holding on for a 13-12 triumph.
During the contest,
Julia Iapicca had six points and six ground balls, while
Syd Guidi added a hat-trick, including her 150th career goal. Meanwhile,
Kelsey Winters handed out her 67th assist of the season, matching her own program record that she set last year.
On the other end of the field,
Emma Jackson collected her 89th career caused turnover, which tied the all-time program record established by former legend Emily Johnson from 2011-14. Equally effective on the defensive side of the field, Iapicca and
Kate Lamendola finished with two takeaways apiece, while
Hadley Chadwick pocketed seven saves.
So far this season, Iapicca leads the conference with 58 goals, which also stands as the 10th-highest total in program history. Additionally, Winters and Iapicca rank first and second in the league in points with 89 and 69, respectively. Meanwhile,
Brookelyn Morrison leads the way with 47 caused turnovers, ranks second with 82 draw controls, and sits third with 44 ground balls.
On a national level, Winters is third in the NCAA in assists this year, while the team is 11th in shooting percentage (.525) and 20th in free-position percentage (.544). The squad also has the 22nd-best turnover rate in the country, averaging just 13.94 miscues per contest.
Salisbury has been equally careful with the ball this season, committing only 11.69 turnovers per game. That ranks first in the NCAA. Additionally, the Sea Gulls are fifth in clearing percentage (.897) and 34th in scoring defense (8.19 goals against average).
Starring between the pipes, Kaitlyn Hunsinger is 19th in the country with an 8.15 goals-against-average while slotting 50th with a .471 save percentage. Offensively, Leah Vilov leads the Sea Gulls with 40 goals, while Mary Hanzsche sits third in the league with 27 assists. Natalie Held is also third among conference competitors with 59 draw controls and 29 caused turnovers.
Salisbury and CNU last met on April 27 with the Sea Gulls snatching an 18-11 win in Maryland. Although the Captains held a three-goal lead in the first half and remained deadlocked at 10 late in the third quarter, the hosts scored nine of the game's final 10 goals to steal the come-from-behind victory.
During that showdown, Guidi landed four goals for the Captains, while Winters had three points. Hanzsche led Salisbury with seven points, including four goals.
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