NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In the midst of a grueling defensive battle, Brookelyn Morrison stole the show and established a new career record for caused turnovers, but the 16th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team could not quite capitalize on her historic efforts as the Captains dropped a 7-3 decision to Shenandoah on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

Against the Hornets, Morrison registered a game-high four takeaways, which bumped her career total to 91. That moved her past former All-American Emma Jackson for the top spot in program history. Jackson had 90 caused turnovers during her tenure from 2021-24.

Along with Morrison's work, Carys May came through with three strips of her own, while Kate Lamendola, Gabby Saia, and Jess Hulse had two apiece. Overall, CNU finished with 16 takeaways while baiting Shenandoah into 19 total turnovers.

On the offensive end, Drew Stanley contributed her second multi-goal eruption of the season, while Grace Taylor also landed a blow for the Captains.

With the setback, Christopher Newport dropped to 2-2 on the season, while the victory bumped Shenandoah to 2-1.

Setting the tone from the very beginning, Morrison collected her first caused turnover less than two minutes into regulation. Flashing her speed, she caught up to a midfielder on a clear attempt before dropping the hammer near the center stripe with a beautiful trail-check.

Unfortunately, Shenandoah came back and landed the first two goals of the game to collect a 2-0 lead midway through the period.

Battling back, CNU capitalized on its defensive efforts in the ninth minute. On another clear by the Hornets, Maelyn Eversole cut off a midfielder, drove her back towards the center of the turf, and blasted the ball out of her stick before May secured the roller.

On the ensuing possession, Stanley made a fantastic play on the doorstep. After an eight-meter attempt caught the left pipe, the sophomore rushed in, collected the deflection, and fired a seed over two defenders and the goalie to put CNU on the board.

Less than a minute later, Stanley came back for more. After the visitors were slapped with a card, Christopher Newport took advantage of the situation. Working the ball around the zone, Eversole eventually found Stanley cutting through a crowd before the second-year sensation grabbed a feed and buried a stinger inside the left pipe, which knotted the game at two.

Responding on the other end, Shenandoah regained an advantage before Hulse closed out the quarter in style. During a shorthanded situation, she helped disrupt a feed to the interior before Hadley Chadwick snatched the loose ball. Moments later, after the Hornets returned to the zone, the freshman won a battle with two attackers to steal possession of an errant feed along the right wing.

In the second stanza, the Hornets struck early with two straight tallies to secure a 5-2 lead. Needing to regroup, the defense settled in again. On Shenandoah's next possession, Saia stripped an attacker who attempted a dodge on the left wing before Madi Rozgonyi grabbed the roller and burst up the field.

Later, after Shenandoah returned to the offensive end, Maddie Rusinko had a quick close-out in the left alley to prevent an early shot, while Chadwick added back-to-back saves, including a gorgeous stop during an unsettled situation. Shortly thereafter, following a timeout by the Hornets, Saia and May swarmed an attacker on the interior before Lexi Larson escaped the scrum with the loose ball.

With less than a minute left in the first half, Taylor earned a free-position attempt. Taking advantage from the right hash, she scooted in, shielded the ball from a defender, and dunked on the doorstep while shrugging off a physical confrontation along the crease.

Although Shenandoah tried to regain a three-goal cushion, Morrison put an end to the squad's last rally of the half. With mere seconds remaining in the period, she swallowed up an attacker who attempted to dip inside before completing the strip and grabbing the ground ball.

Following the break, CNU continued to clamp down on the opposition. Chadwick registered four early saves, while Lamendola intercepted a pass towards the top of the zone. Meanwhile, Morrison inched closer to history.

After a successful clear by the visitors, Shenandoah attempted to change direction with a skip pass across the field. Playing the ball perfectly, Morrison intercepted the bouncer for her third takeaway of the contest.

Five minutes later, the reigning All-American came back with the record-breaker. Killing a clear attempt, she pressured a midfielder along the left sideline. Although the Hornet cut back towards the center of the turf, Morrison stuck to her hip. Eventually, she forced an errant pass to sail out-of-bounds for her 91st career takeaway.

Unfortunately, Shenandoah regrouped again. At the end of the third quarter, the visitors slapped a pair of goals on the board to grab a 7-3 lead.

In the final frame, Christopher Newport tried to battle back on the defensive end. Rozgonyi won possession of a long pass down the right sideline, while May knocked the ball free on a feed towards the crease. Later, Rozgonyi forced a shot to skip past the right pipe with physical defense along the crease before Rusinko came up with the loose ball.

Still fighting, Saia shadowed an attacker on a roll towards the cage before Maggie Lockard swiped the ball off the turf. Shortly thereafter, May jumped a passing lane and came through with another interception, but the Captains could not quite convert on the other end as Shenandoah fostered its late lead and secured the 7-3 win.

Overall, the Hornets held a 22-17 advantage in shots while controlling nine of the game's 13 draws. Meanwhile, CNU led the way in ground balls, 20-18. Morrison had a team-high four rollers, while Chadwick notched three to go along with nine saves.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the Captains host RPI at 4 p.m.

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