SALISBURY, Md. -- Advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in program history, the 22nd-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team pieced together some late-game heroics on both ends of the field to polish off a wild 11-10 victory over No. 6 Denison during the third round of the national playoffs on Saturday afternoon at Salisbury's Sea Gull Stadium.
Coming through in the clutch,
Kate Lamendola scored twice in the fourth quarter before
Elena Sorkin added her second tally of the game with less than a minute left in regulation, which handed the Captains a slim two-goal cushion. Then,
Hadley Chadwick pitched in with two late saves to help slow down Denison's frantic comeback bid before
Sam Murphy applied just enough pressure on the Big Red's final shot to force an off-target attempt that clinched the victory.
During the contest,
Brookelyn Morrison and
Faith O'Connor collected hat-tricks for the Captains, while Lamendola and Sorkin finished with three points of their own. Along with her work on the offensive side, Morrison set fire to the program record books during another historic appearance for the senior All-American.
Against the Big Red, Morrison posted four caused turnovers, which pushed her season total to 56. That established a new school record, breaking her own standard of 54 set in 2024. She also hauled in four ground balls, including the 165th of her career. That moved her into the top spot on the program's all-time charts, passing former standout Monica Evans, who collected 164 rollers from 2010-13.
Fittingly, Saturday was also Morrison's 83rd career appearance with the Captains. That also set a new school record, topping longtime legends Kelsey Winters and Kendall Krause, who both appeared in 82 contests for CNU.
In addition to Morrison's performance on the defensive side, Lamendola had two takeaways and a career-high six ground balls.
Gabby Saia also caused a pair of turnovers, while Chadwick snatched seven saves, including three stops in the fourth quarter.
With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 16-6 on the season and earned a trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals for a rematch against No. 3 Salisbury on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Sea Gulls earned their spot in the contest with a 10-5 triumph over No. 9 York (Pa.) in the first game of Saturday's twin bill.
On the other side, Denison concluded the season with a 19-2 record while watching the program's 16-game winning streak come to an end.
After the Captains slipped out to an early lead, the Big Red responded with five straight strikes in the second stanza to steal a 6-5 advantage with two minutes remaining in the first half. Needing to regain a little momentum, Christopher Newport quickly retaliated.
Off the ensuing draw, Denison came up with the ball, but
Kate Webb immediately stripped a midfielder before
Megan Rotzler secured the bouncer to earn a late possession. Going right to work, Morrison took advantage just 30 seconds later. Stationed in the left alley, she used a pump-fake to create some space before rolling around a defender and planting a seed inside the left post to knot the score at six.
With time left on the clock, Rotzler returned to the center of the field and floated the next draw to O'Connor, who snagged the ball near the left sideline. Back in control, CNU took an initial shot that was bottled up by the defense. However, Webb scooted inside and shoveled the rebound towards the end line before Sorkin collected the spinner to earn a second-chance opportunity.
This time,
Elle Roberts took the ball and drew three defenders into the right alley. On the back side, O'Connor wiggled free, caught a looping feed, and buzzed a screamer past the goalie's helmet to regain a 7-6 lead with 40 seconds left in the first half.
Trying to muster a late response, Denison had an opportunity in the waning moments of the stanza, but Christopher Newport's defense held firm.
Jess Hulse forced a shooter to cut back and attempt a contested shot in the center of the zone before
Lexi Larson won a huge footrace to the end line, which flipped possession and put an end to the opening 30 minutes.
Following the break, CNU orchestrated one of the finest defensive quarters of the season. Early in the third period, Larson shadowed a cutter along the crease to prevent a pass from connecting before Morrison gobbled up an errant feed near the left sideline. Later, Burke came down with an outstretched snag on a failed clear before Morrison added back-to-back strips, including an interception along the 12-meter fan.
Although the Big Red returned to the offensive end later in the period, Murphy planted a shooter in the turf after she attempted a shovel shot in front of the cage. Then, Saia stayed tight with an attacker in the right wing and caused a pass to sail wildly through the zone before ending up in Lamendola's possession.
Following the defensive showcase, the attack found its footing. From the left side of the crease,
Page Henry dropped a dime to
Brooklynn Peterson. Rolling through the zone, the freshman threw on the brakes, circled back to her right, and skipped a shot underneath the keeper for an 8-6 lead in the 40th minute.
Later, Denison secured another possession, but Lamendola showed off her strength to help cap off the third-quarter shutout. During the late surge, the junior ate a dodge in the left corner and kept the attacker at arm's length. Riding her towards the cage, Lamendola eventually cut off an angle and launched the shooter into the crease to kill off the rally.
Still holding a two-goal edge in the fourth frame, the defense went back to work. Early on, Murphy blanketed an attacker in the right alley before joining up with Lamendola on a successful double-team, which helped force a shot-clock violation. Moments later, on Denison's next trip down the field, Chadwick pocketed a high-to-high heater before Morrison controlled the rebound.
After 22 consecutive minutes of scoreless action, Denison finally found an opening in the 51st minute to inch back within one.
Unfazed, CNU shrugged off the momentary setback. On the defensive end, Saia prevented a player from rolling inside before Morrison came over the top and punched the ball loose. Seconds later, after a physical clear by
Laci Welch, Lamendola burst through two defenders and blasted a bullet past the keeper to grab a 9-7 lead.
Continuing the seesaw affair, Denison answered just over a minute later before Lamendola came back for more. Capitalizing on a screen by Morrison, which created a bottleneck in the right alley, the third-year star scooted across the zone. With one defender left to beat, she spun underneath the player and fired a laser over the shoulder of the goalie for her second strike of the stanza.
Following a Denison timeout, the Big Red pulled back within one with five minutes remaining in regulation. Then, after a solid defensive stand, the opposition regained possession with a chance to pull even with two minutes left on the clock.
Needing another stop, Christopher Newport's back line came through again. Denison tried to feed the ball towards the interior, but Hulse stayed in front of a cutter and disrupted the pass just enough to jostle it free. Fighting for control,
Molly Campbell quickly grabbed the bouncer and barreled through three players while drawing a card.
Taking advantage of the ensuing possession, CNU methodically worked the ball around the zone while slicing time off the clock. With no need to rush, Peterson connected with Morrison, who dished the ball to Lamendola. Continuing the circuit, Lamendola found Henry behind the crease before Burke caught a flip in the right wing.
Using every second of the clock, Burke eventually pulled a defender towards the right pipe, which created some space for Sorkin. Filling the void, the senior planted her feet along the crease, grabbed a pass from Burke, and dunked on the doorstep to gain a two-goal cushion with one minute left in the game.
Refusing to go down quietly, Denison gained possession after a timeout. Keeping her wits in the cage, Chadwick blocked a dart along the right pipe before stoning a free-position attempt. Although the Big Red managed to score off a scramble on the interior, Chadwick's efforts helped kill 42 seconds off the clock.
With just 12 ticks left, Denison controlled the ensuing draw and marched back up the field. Earning one last attempt, and attacker tried to sneak a step-down snipe through the defense, but Murphy raced out to the top of the arc, elevated her stick, and caused the shot to sail past the cage, which capped off the thriller and sent the Captains into a full-out frenzy.
Along with her late-game heroics, Murphy collected two draw controls and a ground ball during the contest. Burke also hauled in a season-high four rollers, while Campbell and Saia picked up two apiece.
Long before the back-and-forth battle in the fourth quarter, Christopher Newport stormed out to an early lead in the opening stanza. O'Connor kicked off the scoring with a bouncer into the bottom right corner of the cage just three minutes into regulation. Later, Sorkin used a spinning jump-cut to beat a defender on the way to her first tally before Morrison pushed the lead to 3-0 with a missile under the crossbar.
Although Denison finally found an opening in the ninth minute, CNU settled in on the defensive side. Larson stayed in front of a shooter who tried to spin free before Chadwick snagged a worm-burner in the cage. Later, Campbell stuck to the hip of an attacker and forced a low-percentage shot, which Lamendola grabbed behind the crease.
Then, after clearing the back side, Lamendola burst up the field and flipped a pass to O'Connor, who rifled a low liner through the keeper to take a 4-1 lead at the end of the opening period.
In the second stanza, Christopher Newport struck again in transition. This time, Saia cruised up the right sideline before finding Sorkin at the restraining line. Keeping the defense on its heels, Sorkin fed the ball to Morrison, who blistered a one-timer into the top left corner of the cage for a 5-1 edge.
Then, on Denison's next trip down the field, the Captains put together one of their finest defensive stands of the season. Early on, Murphy pressured a shooter into an off-balance try at the top of the arc. Later, she buried a cutter in the turf to prevent a pointblank attempt along the crease. Although the Big Red earned a free-position attempt, Morrison got under the hands of the attacker, lifted her stick, and caused a rip to spin past the cage before Campbell came up with the ball and cleared the zone.
Fighting back, Denison sank five straight strikes during an eight-minute blitz that flipped CNU's four-goal lead into a 6-5 deficit. Undeterred, Christopher Newport scored twice in the final two minutes of the first half, which gave the Captains a lead they would never relinquish.
Overall, CNU held a 35-26 advantage in shots and a 21-18 edge in ground balls. The Captains also secured 12 of the game's 23 draws. Once again, Rotzler was a revelation in the circle as the freshman helped control possession while feeding the ball to Morrison, who ended up with seven draws, which equaled the third-highest total in an NCAA Tournament game in school history.
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