Live Stats // Video Stream

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After putting the finishing touches on a successful regular season, the 21st-ranked 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 semifinals of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at Jennings Family Stadium.

Entering the midweek match-up, CNU sits at 12-5 on the season, including 8-1 at home. Meanwhile, Mary Washington is 10-7 with a 4-4 mark on the road.

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.

Wednesday's clash will be a rematch of a regular season bout that saw the Captains knock off the Eagles, 11-9, in Newport News. During that tilt, Mary Washington slipped out to an 8-5 lead midway through the third quarter, but CNU scored six of the game's final seven tallies to polish off the come-from-behind victory.

The three-goal hole equaled the largest second-half deficit overcome by Christopher Newport since 2023. Incidentally, three years ago, the Captains climbed back from an 11-6 deficit to top the same Mary Washington program during a 14-13 overtime win on April 22, 2023.

During this year's comeback victory, Faith O'Connor led CNU with four goals, including the final two blows at the end of the fourth quarter. Brookelyn Morrison also had four points for the Captains, while Hadley Chadwick matched her season-high with 11 saves. Fittingly, O'Connor and Chadwick swept the league's Player of the Week honors for those performances.

Entering Wednesday, several players are on the cusp of history for Christopher Newport. Elena Sorkin has posted at least two goals in 13 straight games dating back to March 7. That is tied for the longest streak in school history, matching the standard set by CNU Hall of Famer Ashton Marshall in 2013 and equaled by O'Connor and former legend Syd Guidi in recent seasons.

Aided by her recent run, Sorkin currently has 62 goals this season, which is four shy of matching Guidi for the fourth-highest total in program history. Meanwhile, at the top of the charts, Marshall and fellow Hall of Famer Kaitlin Quigley had matching 76-goal campaigns, while former All-American Sarah Culver landed 69 strikes in 2018.

O'Connor is also one goal shy of becoming the seventh Captain to record a 60-goal campaign. She is also five tallies away from reaching 100 for her career, while Sorkin is seven shy of the century mark.

In addition to the high-volume scorers, Morrison is two draw controls away from reaching 100 for the season. She would become just the fourth Captain to hit that benchmark, joining Sam Wettengel (106 in 2021), Meaghan Galvin (105 in 2017), and Emma Jackson (101 in 2022). 

Remarkably, Morrison is also just seven ground balls away from tying the program's career record. The senior All-American has collected 157 rollers, while former standout Monica Evans set the standard after hauling in 164 from 2010-13.

After the setback to Christopher Newport on April 18, Mary Washington bounced back with two straight victories. The Eagles rounded out the regular season by beating Bridgewater, 13-3, on April 22 before upending Dickinson, 12-11, in the regular season finale.

Mary Washington has been led this season by a stout defensive unit anchored by Cece Van Blenis. The junior goalie leads the league with a .474 save percentage, while her 119 stops are the second-most among conference competitors. She has recorded seven double-digit save efforts this season, including 17 stops during the regular season battle with the Captains.

On the offensive end, UMW is led by Abigail Fisher and Sadie Laughlin, who both have 47 points. Laughlin also leads the squad with 64 draw controls while adding 28 caused turnovers and 42 ground balls. Meanwhile, Anna Dube has a team-high 17 assists in addition to 16 goals.

Familiar postseason foes, Christopher Newport and Mary Washington have faced off in the league playoffs during each of the past five conference tournaments dating back to 2021. CNU has prevailed in all of those match-ups, including a 19-11 win during the semifinals last spring. During that showdown, Morrison led the victors with nine points, including six goals, while O'Connor had five strikes of her own.

---ISH---