Live Stats // Video Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team will kick off the postseason on Wednesday at 4 p.m. when the Captains host Mary Washington in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Semifinals at Jennings Family Stadium.
CNU earned the No. 2 seed in the league playoffs after wrapping up the regular season with a 7-10 record and a 1-1 mark in conference play. Meanwhile, Mary Washington secured the No. 3 position after finishing 11-6 overall and 0-2 against league foes.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
In their last appearance, the Captains dropped a 12-11 decision to No. 9 Washington and Lee on Saturday. Against the Generals, CNU forced 20 turnovers, which marked the fifth-highest total in program history. On an individual level,
Carys May established a new career-high with five takeaways, while
Maddie Rusinko added three.
Christopher Newport also dominated possession against the Generals, controlling 20 of the game's 27 draws.
Brookelyn Morrison had nine draw controls, while
Madi Rozgonyi and
Emilie Shoults chipped in with five apiece.
Although the Captains eventually succumbed to the high-powered W&L attack, Saturday's game continued an impressive late-season run by CNU. During the final four games of the regular season, the squad knocked off No. 17 Roanoke, 15-11, upended Mary Washington, 17-3, and held late fourth-quarter leads against both No. 5 Salisbury and No. 9 Washington and Lee.
While facing the fourth-toughest schedule in the NCAA this year, Christopher Newport has been evenly matched against some of the best teams in the country. Overall, the program has five one-goal setbacks, including losses against Haverford and Denison, who are currently ranked 19th and 20th in the latest IWLCA National Poll. The team also had a fourth-quarter lead during a 14-12 loss to Rowan, who is ranked 22nd in the country.
Incredibly, CNU has been tied or leading in the fourth quarter in 12 of the team's 17 games this year, including five bouts against programs currently in the top-25. That does not include a hard-fought setback against No. 2 Tufts, who the Captains outscored, 5-4, over the final 32 minutes of regulation.
Mary Washington also enters the playoffs after suffering a top-25 loss in the regular season finale. On Saturday, the Eagles fell to No. 5 Salisbury, 18-9. During that game, Tori Mueller led UMW with six points, including four goals. Abigail Fisher also netted a hat-trick, while Anna Dube pocketed four draw controls.
Overall this season, Molly Daw leads Mary Washington with 41 goals, which also stands as the second-highest total among all conference competitors. Additionally, Mueller sits fourth on the league's scoring charts with 35 goals. Equally effective on the defensive side, Mueller is averaging just over two takeaways per game, while Dube has a team-high 60 draw controls.
In their last meeting, CNU upended Mary Washington, 17-3, on April 12. After the Eagles opened the scoring with two early goals, the Captains ripped off 17 straight tallies before UMW added one final strike at the end of regulation. The 17 consecutive goals was Christopher Newport's longest scoring streak in a road game since an 18-goal surge at Virginia Wesleyan on February 24, 2018.
On an individual level,
Faith O'Connor matched her career-high with five goals against the Eagles, while Morrison and
Maelyn Eversole posted hat-tricks. On the other side, Mueller had two points and a pair of takeaways for Mary Washington, and Dube finished with six draw controls.
After Wednesday's action, the highest remaining seed in the league playoffs will host the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday. In the other semifinal match-up, top-seeded Salisbury hosts No. 4 Warren Wilson at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
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