NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The No. 23 Haverford College women's lacrosse team (4-2) fell to Christopher Newport (5-1) by a 14–8 score on Wednesday afternoon at Jennings Stadium on the campus of Christopher Newport University. The Captains secured the victory with a dominant first quarter, outscoring Haverford 5–1, and maintained control throughout the contest despite a late push from the Fords, who tallied five second-half goals, including two on player-up opportunities.
Brooke Epstein led the Scarlet and Black with four goals, including two on player-up advantages, converting all five of her shots while collecting a team-high three draw controls. Daniela Martini also recorded four points, scoring once and adding three assists, while Kylie McNamara found the back of the net twice. Defensively, Kiri Jensen notched a career-high six caused turnovers, while Finley Jordan caused four turnovers and collected four ground balls. In goal, Ella Salvador made six saves.
Christopher Newport opened the scoring in the first quarter when Brooklynn Peterson struck at 14:16. Elena Sorkin added two more goals for the Captains, including a free-position tally at 8:38 to push the lead to 3–0. Faith O'Connor extended the advantage to 4–0 with a goal at the six-minute mark. Haverford answered late in the quarter as Martini finished a feed from Mikelle Smith at 1:47. Sorkin closed the period with another free-position goal with 30 seconds remaining, giving the Captains a 5–1 lead after one.
The Captains extended their lead early in the second quarter when Elle Roberts scored at 12:05, followed by another tally from O'Connor at 10:04. The Scarlet and Black responded with McNamara finding the net at 6:55 off an assist from Kalli Mullen, and Epstein adding a goal at 4:19 with help from Martini. Christopher Newport capitalized on a player-up opportunity late in the quarter, as Molly Campbell converted a free-position attempt with 59 seconds remaining, sending the Captains into halftime with an 8–3 lead.
Christopher Newport maintained its momentum early in the third quarter, as O'Connor scored on a player-up free-position shot at 13:56 before assisting Sorkin just 39 seconds later. Haverford responded at 8:58 when McNamara finished a pass from Martini to briefly cut into the deficit. The Captains quickly regained control with goals from Kate Lamendola and Drew Stanley. Epstein added a late player-up tally off an assist from Smith with 21 seconds remaining, but the Fords trailed 13–5 heading into the final quarter.
Epstein again sparked Haverford early in the fourth quarter, converting a player-up opportunity off an assist from Bella Gattuso at 14:37. She struck again at 11:05 with a free-position goal to trim the deficit to six. Lamendola answered for Christopher Newport with a goal at 2:31, assisted by Peterson. Sophie Jaffe added a late tally for the Scarlet and Black at 1:49 off a feed from Martini, but the Captains held on to secure the 14–8 victory.
Haverford will remain in Virginia for its next contest, traveling to Fredericksburg to take on Mary Washington on Saturday, March 14. Opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m.
