SALISBURY, Md. -- Penning the last chapter of the squad's storybook season, the 22nd-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team saw its 2026 campaign come to a close as the Captains dropped a 17-4 decision against No. 3 Salisbury during the NCAA Quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.
During the contest,
Kate Webb led CNU with a pair of points, including her 40th assist of the season. She became just the fifth Captain in program history to reach that benchmark. Additionally,
Brookelyn Morrison,
Faith O'Connor, and
Elena Sorkin also found the back of the cage for the Captains.
On the other end of the field, Morrison,
Kate Lamendola, and
Gabby Saia all had two takeaways apiece. Meanwhile, between the pipes,
Hadley Chadwick and
Rowen Arena split time in the cage, and both goalies made a little history on Sunday.
Chadwick posted a pair of saves, including the 500th of her career. She joined former standout Kaitlyn Ready as the only Captains to hit that plateau. The fourth-year star also concluded her tenure with 4,384 minutes of action, marking the fifth-highest total in Division III history.
While Chadwick was putting the finishing touches on her career, Arena added a season-high five saves during her time in the crease. That equaled the most by a freshman in an NCAA Tournament game since longtime standout Hannah Wilkerson registered eight stops against No. 15 Washington and Lee on May 11, 2011.
Rounding out Christopher Newport's first-year history-makers, Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year
Sam Murphy hauled in a pair of draw controls against the Sea Gulls. With that performance, she polished off her season with 67 draws, which established a new freshman record. She topped the previous standard of 66 set by CNU Hall of Famer Meaghan Galvin in 2014.
Aided by the work of the school's record-setting stars, Christopher Newport concluded the season with a 16-7 ledger while advancing further in the NCAA Tournament than any team in program history. Making CNU's run even more impressive, the Captains became just the second program in the country since 2021 to reach the Quarterfinals without the benefit of a bye or home game in the playoffs.
On the other side, Salisbury improved to 20-0 and locked up a spot in next week's Final Four, which will be held in Rochester, New York.
Early on, Christopher Newport did its best to slow down the high-powered Salisbury attack. Just moments into the contest, Lamendola got her stick into the body of a Sea Gull and dislodged the ball near the restraining line. Shortly thereafter, Chadwick slammed the door on a free-position shot before Morrison dropped an attacker to the turf and stripped her in the center of the field.
Continuing the defensive stand, Chadwick made a nice stop on a low liner along the left post before sealing off the right pipe to stymie a turnaround attempt just seconds later. Then, a Sea Gull nearly slipped free in transition, but Saia flashed her wheels and cut off the streaker while forcing a shot to sail past the cage.
Unfortunately, Salisbury never slowed down. Despite facing constant pressure, the Sea Gulls pieced together a quick blitz that saw the hosts string together six straight goals during an eight-minute window.
With time winding down in the opening period, Webb put an end to Salisbury's surge. In the 14th minute, the junior rolled in from the left wing, lowered her shoulder, and created some space while sprinting past a defender. After finding some room on the interior, she blistered a high-to-low liner into the bottom left corner of the cage for CNU's first tally.
In the second quarter, Morrison continued the comeback with her 50th goal of the year. After earning an eight-meter attempt, the senior All-American took two steps and whistled a one-timer inside the right post. That was her 16th free-position strike of the season, moving her to fourth on the program's all-time charts.
Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Arena checked into the game and made a fancy save off a redirect in front of the cage. Later, Murphy and
Molly Campbell swarmed an attacker on the interior to prevent a pass from landing before Lamendola scooped up the bouncer and jump-started a successful clear.
Later in the period, the Captains made Salisbury work for every inch of the field. During one rush, Campbell rerouted an attacker towards the right wing before Lamendola chased her back towards the center. Eventually, the Sea Gull had enough and fired a low-percentage shot at the cage, which Arena quickly handled.
Then, on Salisbury's final push of the period, Lamendola shadowed an attacker along the right side of the crease. Although the hosts tried to jam the ball inside, the junior elevated over the attacker and swatted the pass out of the air to flip possession.
Unfortunately, the hosts managed to grab an 8-2 lead entering halftime before adding their ninth goal just two minutes into the third frame.
Searching for an answer, Christopher Newport capitalized on a power play situation. After Salisbury was hit with a card, O'Connor slipped behind the defense while working her way into the center of the zone. Showcasing her vision, Webb read the play perfectly and looped a feed to her teammate, who caught the flip and used a fake-and-finish to score on the doorstep.
Three minutes later, CNU capitalized on solid teamwork on both ends of the field to land another blow. First, on the back end, Saia pressured an attacker along the end line and caused the Sea Gull to launch an off-balance pass. Although the ball stayed in bounds,
Jess Hulse won a race for the spinner, gobbled it up, and wiggled her way through traffic to start a clear attempt.
Working quickly, Murphy eventually took control and dropped a dime over the out-stretched stick of a Salisbury midfielder. On the receiving end, Sorkin grabbed the ball, cut around another Sea Gull near the 12-meter fan, and buried a rocket on the run for her 73rd goal of the season.
Despite the quick strike, the hosts never lost their rhythm. The squad tacked five tallies onto the board in the third quarter before stretching the lead to double-digits early in the fourth stanza.
Refusing to go down quietly, Christopher Newport never stopped working. On the defensive end, Saia knocked down a pass along the crease before winning a scramble for the loose ball behind the cage. Later, the junior All-American shoved another attacker over the end line to force a second turnover, while
Laci Welch had a quick closeout to contest a shot at the top of the zone, which led to an off-target rip.
However, the Captains were unable to find an opening on the other side of the field as Salisbury wrapped up the 17-4 victory.
During the battle, the Sea Gulls held a 31-9 advantage in shots and a 19-9 edge in ground balls. Meanwhile, the Captains controlled 12 of the game's 23 draws. Along with Murphy's two snags, O'Connor had three draw controls.
Megan Rotzler and
Emilie Shoults also picked up one apiece while helping direct traffic from their perch in the center of the circle.
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