No. 24 CNU women's lacrosse falls at No. 9 Gettysburg, 15-6, in second round of NCAA tournament

GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Putting the final punctuation mark on a magical 2023 campaign, the 24th-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team wrapped up the year with a hard-fought 15-6 setback at No. 9 Gettysburg during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Clark Field.

Concluding the program's ninth trip to the national playoffs, the Captains battled for 60 minutes despite falling into an early four-goal hole. Chipping away at the deficit, Christopher Newport deposited five tallies in the second half, including three in the fourth quarter, but Gettysburg withstood the late surge to secure the win.

On the offensive end, Maelyn Eversole continued her remarkable run in the postseason. The second-year star scored twice in the third quarter while finishing the weekend with seven total goals. That marked the most by a Captain during a single NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.

Aided by her work on Sunday, Eversole ended the season with 16 total points. Incredibly, 12 of them came since the start of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on May 3.

In addition to Eversole, Julia Iapicca also struck twice against the Bullets. That was her 17th multi-goal effort of the year, which stands as the second-highest total by a Captain in a single season in program history. Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Ashton Marshall posted at least two goals in 18 of her appearances in 2013.

Along with the offensive heroes, Taylor Schoolar pocketed nine saves, which equaled the third-highest total of her four-year career.

With the setback, Christopher Newport capped off the season with a 12-9 record. On the other end, the victory bumped Gettysburg to 16-4 and sent the Bullets into the third round of the NCAA Tournament for a date with No. 2 Washington & Lee next week.

After receiving a first-round bye, Gettysburg came out refreshed in the opening moments of the contest. The hosts raced out to a 4-0 lead before Christopher Newport responded. Connecting on the squad's first goal, Hope Hunter found Kendall Krause cutting down the right alley before the fifth-year senior peppered a shot inside the left pipe.

Although Gettysburg regained a four-goal edge just moments later, the Captains clamped down on the defensive end to keep the opposition within striking distance. Early on, Iapicca checked the ball away from an attacker before Madi Rozgonyi orchestrated a fantastic clear that saw her tiptoeing along the right sideline while facing consistent pressure.

Later, after the Bullets returned to the offensive end, Celia Kelaher helped punch a ball free during a scrum in front of the cage. Maddie Rusinko also knocked down a feed on the interior, while Riley Rafterry-Lee pounced on an errant pass to help keep the deficit at 5-1 after 15 minutes of action. 

In the second stanza, the Bullets regained the momentum and drove home two early goals to stretch their lead to six. Needing to stem the tide, the defense stepped up again.

Standing tall against the mounting attack, Emma Jackson orchestrated a great ride at the top of the zone to force a pass before Schoolar stoned a rip on the doorstep after an attacker wiggled free along the right pipe. Shortly thereafter, Christopher Newport dug in for one of its longest defensive stands of the postseason.

Midway through the period, Iapicca stayed with a pair of Bullets through a series of dodges before swatting a pass out of the air, which helped interrupt Gettysburg's offensive stand. Although the hosts regained possession, Schoolar slammed the door on a rope, Rusinko bottled up a run on the interior, and Krause came away with a ground ball after winning a battle along the end line.

Shortly thereafter, Rafterry-Lee pushed an attacker away from the left wing before Jackson stayed in the face of a shooter and forced an attempt to spin past the pipe.

Unfortunately, the Captains were unable to crack the stout Gettysburg defense. With seven minutes left in the period, Brookelyn Morrison had a solid look from the right wing, but the keeper made a great save to stymie the initial attempt. Although the ball deflected out to McDonald, the junior had a second-chance opportunity wiped away as well. Meanwhile, Iapicca unleashed a rocket that just sailed over the crossbar, and Kelsey Winters had multiple feeds dislodged from cutters at the last possible moment.

Entering halftime down 8-1, Christopher Newport came out of the break on a mission. Cutting into the deficit, Eversole stole the show. Less than a minute into the period, the sophomore found herself isolated one-on-one on the left side of the crease. Taking advantage of the situation, she rushed up the field, circled in front of the cage, and skipped a turnaround tracer through the keeper.

With a little momentum, Jackson controlled the ensuing draw before handing the ball back to the team's hot hand. Earning a free-position attempt, Eversole split the wickets of the goalie with a missile from the top right hash for her second straight strike.

Equally effective on the defensive side, Christopher Newport began pushing back against Gettysburg's high-powered attack. Rozgonyi was glued to a cutter and caused a pass to hit the turf before Schoolar made a sensational save on a high hammer from pointblank range. Later, after Rusinko helped slow down a streaker during a fast break opportunity, the senior keeper stoned another blast during the same odd-man rush.

Still battling, Rafterry-Lee ran stride-for-stride with an attacker up the alley, which led to a low-percentage shot by the Bullets. Shortly thereafter, the hosts earned a free-position attempt, but Jackson and Kelaher crashed down on the eight-meter try while forcing the shot to cruise past the cage.

Sadly, the pressure continued to build before the Bullets strung together a late surge to secure a 12-3 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Punching back at the start of the fourth stanza, Iapicca picked apart the Gettysburg defense. Early on, the senior exploited a one-on-one matchup, rolled around her defender, and hammered a low laser into the bottom right corner of the cage. Less than four minutes later, she broke out a quick dodge on the left wing, slipped through a double-team, and deposited another dagger on the interior.

While Iapicca was headlining the offensive attack in the fourth quarter, Schoolar remained sturdy in the crease. She snatched the ball right out of the stick of a shooter after the Bullet capitalized on a pick to earn a clean run at the cage. Minutes later, the fourth-year keeper dipped low to block a worm-burner along the right pipe.

Although Gettysburg fostered its lead throughout the period, Christopher Newport landed the game's final goal with less than two minutes left in regulation. After taking a hard check along the eight-meter arc, Rozgonyi shrugged off the violence and took advantage of the ensuing free-position attempt. From the left side of the zone, she went with a crossfire conversion while unloading a rocket inside the right post.

Overall, Gettysburg held a 32-18 advantage in shots and a 16-12 lead in ground balls. The Bullets also secured 14 of the game's 24 draws. Jackson led the Captains with five draw controls, while Maddie Tomaszewski and Eleanor Collins combined for five of their own. Meanwhile, Schoolar finished with three ground balls to go along with her nine saves.