ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. — The St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s lacrosse team opened its home slate at Jamie L. Roberts Stadium on Feb. 22, falling 11-9 to No. 15 Christopher Newport University. The Seahawks (0-2) led late in the second half, but a 4-0 closing run by the Captains (2-0) erased their advantage. Despite standout efforts from senior captains Hailey Betch and Colin Horton, St. Mary’s faltered with turnovers in the final stretch, dropping their second game of the season.
CNU scored first, but St. Mary’s took charge with three consecutive goals. Betch, from Severna Park, Maryland, netted two during the spurt, putting the Seahawks ahead 3-1 with 10:22 left in the first. The Captains answered with four goals, including two power-play scores, to lead 5-3. Betch’s unassisted power-play goal in the last minute of the quarter made it 5-4. In the second, each team scored twice, sending CNU into halftime with a 7-6 edge.
The Seahawks roared back in the third quarter, as Horton, from University Park, Maryland, tallied three goals in a 5-0 run that spanned halftime. St. Mary’s led 9-7 with 12:55 to go, but Christopher Newport rallied. A turnover led to a 9-9 tie at 7:34, followed by the go-ahead goal at 6:21, making it 10-9. CNU capped the scoring with 1:31 left. St. Mary’s took four shots—two on target—in the final 12 minutes but lost the ball four times.
Betch led all scorers with four goals and an assist, adding a game-high six draw controls as St. Mary’s won the draw battle, 15-8. Horton scored three times and forced two turnovers, tops in the game. Junior Isabel Gautreaux, from Bel Air, Maryland, stopped eight shots and grabbed two ground balls in relief. For CNU, Faith O’Connor had four points (two goals, two assists), and Hadley Chadwick earned the win with seven saves.
The Captains, ranked 15th in the Feb. 10 IWLCA poll, led in shots (28-25) and ground balls (21-11). Four players scored twice for CNU. St. Mary’s hosts No. 12 Roanoke (1-0) on March 1 at noon.
