SALISBURY, Md. -- Stuffing a season's worth of highlights into the first 30 minutes of action, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team bolted out to an early lead and carried a two-goal edge into halftime, but No. 7 Salisbury answered in the second half and rallied for a 13-9 victory in a back-and-forth thriller during the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.

Headlining Christopher Newport's efforts on the offensive end, Maelyn Eversole sank four goals, which equaled the most by a Captain in a title bout since CNU Hall of Famer Ashton Marshall registered seven tallies against Greensboro in the 2013 USA South Championship. Working her magic on free-position attempts, the eight-meter mage converted all three of her shots from the arc. That equaled the highest total in a postseason tilt in school history.

Along with the championship day star, a cavalcade of Captains shined against the Sea Gulls. Faith O'Connor scored twice for the visitors, while Brookelyn Morrison had three takeaways, two points, and a pair of draws. Elena Sorkin contributed a goal and an assist as well.

Saturday's game also added another remarkable chapter to Madi Rozgonyi's decidedly historic career. Against the Sea Gulls, the All-Region phenom started her 80th consecutive game, marking the longest "Iron Man" streak in program lore. She broke the previous record of 79 straight starts, which was set by former All-American Emma Jackson from 2021-24.

Along with Rozgonyi's historic outing, fellow senior Maddie Rusinko moved up the program's all-time charts as well. On Saturday, she made her 72nd career appearance, tying current assistant coach and longtime legend Riley Rafterry-Lee for the eighth-most by a defender in program history.

Rusinko eventually finished the title game with three caused turnovers and a pair of ground balls. Aided by those efforts, CNU shined on the defensive side throughout the contest while blanketing the field from sideline to sideline. Helping keep the high-powered Sea Gulls in the dark, star defender Gabby Saia pocketed two takeaways, while Hadley Chadwick notched seven saves between the pipes.

For their work on Saturday, Eversole, Morrison, and Saia each earned an All-Tournament citation.

With the setback, Christopher Newport dropped to 8-11 on the season, while the victory bumped Salisbury to 14-4 and allowed the Sea Gulls to carry back their fifth straight conference crown.

Facing a program that had not lost a home playoff game since the 2019 conference championship, Christopher Newport entered the weekend looking to snap Salisbury's historic 14-game postseason winning streak at Sea Gull Stadium. Although the Captains eventually fell short in their bold venture, the squad stood tall against the perennial power and vaulted out to an early lead.

Kicking off the first-quarter cannonade, Kate Lamendola caught a flip from Sorkin in the second minute. Facing a tight window, she dodged an initial defender before lacing a screamer over the shoulder of a second Sea Gull to snatch an early advantage.

Continuing the assault, Eversole had a hand in the next two goals. Stationed along the left post, she fired a pass to O'Connor, who cut down the center of the zone and uncorked a high-to-high hammer. Less than two minutes later, after earning her first free-position attempt, Eversole skipped a seed inside the right pipe for a 3-0 edge.

Still rolling along, O'Connor flashed her athleticism while capping off the early surge. Isolated with a defender behind the crease, the agile attacker used a jump-cut to gain a little space. After sliding to her left, she spun back the other way, circled around the post, and drove home another tally to grab a 4-0 lead.

After O'Connor's second strike, the Gold and Maroon whistled for a timeout before scoring their first goal to cut CNU's advantage back down to three.

Despite the momentary stumble, Christopher Newport's defense continued to push back against the Sea Gulls. Keeping the hosts real quiet in the early going, Chadwick had three quick saves, while Lamendola won a physical battle along the right sideline to box out an attacker and flip possession during a lengthy push by Salisbury. Later, Jess Hulse stuck to a shooter and forced a low-percentage rip from deep, while Morrison buried an opponent in the left alley before Rozgonyi pulled in a loose ball near the crease.

After that defensive stand, the Captains worked quickly and caught Salisbury in transition. On the clear, Molly Campbell looped a forward pass to Sorkin. With possession, the junior spun around a midfielder, bounced off a second defender, and unleashed a missile on the move to secure a 5-1 edge.

Battling back, the hosts scored a last-minute goal at the end of the first quarter and opened the second stanza with four straight tallies to steal a 6-5 lead in the 20th minute. Refusing to back down, CNU prevented Salisbury's momentum from bubbling over into halftime as the Captains regrouped on both ends of the field.

First, on the offensive side, Eversole found her rhythm from the eight-meter arc. Landing the equalizer on her second free-position attempt of the game, she took the orb and buzzed it right past the goalie's ear hole. Two minutes later, after she was body-slammed by the keeper along the crease, she earned an empty-net look and scored with ease to regain a one-goal cushion.

Shortly thereafter, the senior standout continued her unbridled attack in the 27th minute. As Morrison rolled to her right at the top of the zone, Eversole bolted in the opposite direction, caught a pass, and scored on the inside to grab an 8-6 lead.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, the Captains shut out Salisbury over the final nine minutes of the first half. On the back side, Saia prevented a shot along the right post with tight pressure, Rusinko intercepted a floater from behind the crease, and Chadwick made a kick save on a fast-break opportunity.

Just as effective all over the field, Carys May helped cause a turnover on the right sideline after running stride-for-stride with a midfielder, while Hulse came through with a quick closeout near the restraining line, which forced a Sea Gull to rethink a long-range dagger. Meanwhile, along the middle meridian, Morrison, Rozgonyi, and Page Henry helped slam the door on a series of clear attempts as CNU carried the two-goal edge into halftime.

Continuing the defensive mastery after the break, the Captains picked up right where they left off in the third quarter. Headlining the early action, Lamendola knocked a ball loose for a brief moment on Salisbury's first possession of the period, which helped lead to a shot-clock violation. She also launched a midfielder over the left sideline and kept a tight lid on a cutter, who posed a genuine risk along the interior.

Later in the period, Saia put on a show. Just days after earning her first career All-Conference plaudit, the sophomore star suffocated the Sea Gulls. In the middle of the third quarter, she pinched off a shooter in the left alley, bottled up a turnaround attempt near the crease, and stripped an attacker with a huge check along the baseline. 

Unfortunately, Salisbury stayed vigilant. On the lookout for even the slightest opening in Christopher Newport's back line, the Sea Gulls eventually chipped away at CNU's lead. The hosts scored three consecutive goals in the third quarter to flip their deficit into a 9-8 edge. Then, in the final stanza, Salisbury scored on its first four possessions to put the game out of reach.

Staring at a 13-8 hole, the visitors left nothing to regret. Battling until the very end of regulation, Bethany Wyant subbed in and stoned an eight-meter shot, while Saia forced a Sea Gull into a lengthy retreat before causing an errant pass to sail over the baseline. Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Henry connected with Morrison, who snapped off a sidewinder from the left wing for the game's final goal.

During the contest, Salisbury held a 31-19 lead in shots and a 17-11 edge in ground balls. The hosts also controlled the middleground while collecting 17 of the game's 26 draws. In addition to Morrison's two draw controls, Rozgonyi finished with three of her own, while May, Alexa Romero, and Emilie Shoults had one apiece.

With the league tournament in the books, the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference will settle in for a little Sunday silence before the NCAA unveils its 47-team bracket on Monday at 10:30 a.m. Highly regarded on the national stage, Salisbury, CNU, and Mary Washington all sit in the top-60 of the NCAA Power Index, which the selection committee will use to determine the NCAA Tournament field.

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