Historic Work on Both Ends of the Field Carries No. 21 CNU Women's Lacrosse Past Mary Washington, 17-11, in Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Semifinals

From CNUSports.com)

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Piecing together a masterclass on both ends of the field, the 21st-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team advanced to the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship after knocking off Mary Washington, 17-11, during a semifinal showdown on a cloud-covered Wednesday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.

During the contest, CNU took advantage of several career-best performances. Leading the way, senior All-American Brookelyn Morrison matched her career-high with nine points after collecting six goals and three assists. Remarkably, her performance came almost exactly one year to the day after she posted an identical nine-point explosion against the same Mary Washington squad during the semifinals of the 2025 league tournament.

In addition to her offensive exploits, Morrison also bagged five draw controls, which bumped her season total to 102. She became just the fourth Captain to reach the century mark in a single campaign, joining CNU Hall of Famer Meaghan Galvin and former legends Sam Wettengel and Emma Jackson.

Along with Morrison, Sam Murphy collected a career-high eight draw controls, while Kate Webb set a new personal standard with six assists. Additionally, Faith O'Connor, Elle Roberts, and Elena Sorkin all chipped in with hat-tricks.

With her performance, Sorkin posted her 14th consecutive multi-goal outing, marking the longest run in school history. She eclipsed the 13-game streaks by O'Connor, Ashton Marshall, and Syd Guidi.

Adding her own historic footnote, O'Connor became the seventh Captain to post a 60-goal campaign. In that exclusive club, she joined Sorkin as well as Marshall, Guidi, Kaitlin Quigley, Sarah Culver, and Kristen Conques.

Not to be overlooked, the defense was equally historic on Wednesday. Christopher Newport came through with 21 caused turnovers, which was the sixth-highest total in program history and the finest mark in a postseason game. At the forefront of the defensive domination, Sam Manico and Gabby Saia had five takeaways apiece.

With her work on the back end, Saia bumped her season total to 44 caused turnovers, marking the most by a defender in program history. Previously, former legend Emily Johnson had 40 strips from her perch on the back line in 2014. Overall, Saia's total is the third-highest by any player in school history, trailing only Morrison, who set the standard with 54 takeaways last year before notching 47 this spring.

Rounding out the history-makers, Hadley Chadwick equaled her career-high with six ground balls while also pocketing seven saves.

With the win, CNU improved to 13-5 on the season and secured a spot in Saturday's league championship. The Captains will contend for conference supremacy against No. 3 Salisbury at Sea Gull Stadium. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Mary Washington dropped to 10-8 on the season.

Early on, the two teams battled back and forth throughout the opening stanza. Picking apart the Eagles, Morrison registered three assists in the first frame. First, she set up a bullet by Sorkin, which sailed through the legs of the keeper. Later, she found O'Connor, who buried a shot inside the left pipe, and Brooklynn Peterson, who ripped a rocket over the right shoulder of the goalie.

Although the visitors were also able to land three goals in the first 15 minutes, Christopher Newport never let them find a consistent rhythm. On the back end, Saia orchestrated a fantastic ride in the left wing as she blanketed an attacker with tight pressure before dropping the Eagle to the turf along the crease. Moments later, Manico knocked a pass away from a shooter on the interior before Molly Campbell outran a midfielder to secure an errant pass near the right sideline.

After the defensive domination, Mary Washington simply held onto the ball and ran out the clock at the end of the opening period to regain possession at the start of the second stanza. Fittingly, the strategy quickly failed as O'Connor came through with a leaping interception to flip the field just seconds into the new quarter.

Later, Annabella Burke killed off another rush as the freshman ran stride-for-stride with a midfielder down the left sideline before launching her across the boundary to force a turnover.

Continuing the defensive highlights in the 18th minute, Kate Lamendola cut off an attacker who attempted to sprint down the right sideline. Her pressure forced the Eagle to cut back and try a spin move, but the junior stayed with the play and cracked the ball loose with a check from behind.

Capitalizing on the momentum built on the defensive side of the field, the attack broke the game open on the other end. Morrison sank two early goals, including an eight-meter missile that tucked itself just inside the right post. Meanwhile, Webb found her footing and tormented the UMW defense with three assists after dropping dimes to Lamendola, Roberts, and Sorkin.

Roberts also skipped another strike through the goalie's five-hole following a feed from Lamendola, which helped push CNU's lead to 9-4 entering halftime.

Following the break, Christopher Newport continued its assault. O'Connor drew some attention at the top of the zone, which allowed Morrison to wiggle free on the interior. Eventually, the senior caught a pass and snapped off a high-to-low laser that sailed over top of two defenders before skipping underneath the goalie for a 10-4 advantage.

Refusing to go down quietly, the visitors responded with three straight strikes to cut their deficit back down to three midway through the period.

Fighting back, Webb and Morrison connected on a pair of goals, including a slick strike in the 40th minute. Off an errant shot, Webb made a nice grab to secure a second-chance opportunity behind the crease. Working quickly with the defense struggling to catch up, Webb tossed the ball to Morrison, who converted a step-down snipe from the left alley.

Along with the dynamic duo, O'Connor dunked over Mary Washington's keeper on a free-position attempt, which gave the hosts a 13-9 advantage.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Manico wrestled possession away from an attacker during a deep run by the visitors, while Campbell shoved a shooter off her mark to prevent an attempt before Saia won a scramble for the loose ball. Later, Murphy was glued to an Eagle at the top of the zone and hindered an initial shot before Campbell intercepted a pass down low.

Later in the period, Sorkin and Morrison swarmed a midfielder with tight pressure on a failed clear near the right sideline before Manico clamped down on a subsequent surge with a stick-check near the center stripe.

Although Mary Washington was able to close the gap to three again at the end of the third quarter, CNU had an answer in the fourth frame. Roberts ran a nice clear-out on an early surge by the hosts, which gave Morrison all the room she needed to sink a screamer from the left alley. Later, Saia thwarted back-to-back runs by the Eagles after stripping an attacker in the center of the zone before jumping a passing lane for another takeaway in the right corner.

With little left to prove, Christopher Newport put the finishing touches on the win. On the offensive end, O'Connor spun through a crowd along the arc before threading a pinpoint pass to Sorkin, who converted in traffic along the right side of the crease. Later, O'Connor came back with a missile on the move before Burke sailed a pass over a leaping defender, which set up Roberts' third goal of the contest.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Chadwick stoned an eight-meter attempt, Manico intercepted an off-target pass, and Laci Welch knocked a feed away from a shooter on the inside to help wrap up the action.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 34-25 advantage in shots and a 21-19 lead in ground balls. The Captains also controlled 20 of the game's 30 draws. On an individual level, Emilie Shoults pocketed five draws for the victors, while Morrison and Campbell collected three ground balls apiece.