SALISBURY, Md. – The second-ranked Salisbury University women's lacrosse team lifted the 2026 Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Championship trophy on Saturday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium, meeting and defeating the No. 21 Christopher Newport University Captains in the conference title game for the sixth straight year by an 11-9 final score. This serves as the 24th Salisbury University women's lacrosse Conference Championship in program history.
Audrey Harrington quickly got the Sea Gulls (17-0) offense rolling with the opening two goals of the game in a three-minute span. Both goals came unassisted, with her second being on a player-up advantage after a Captains (13-6) green card. Christopher Newport was able to respond with three straight goals to earn a 3-2 lead before the end of the first quarter.
Harrington once again got the scoring started in the second quarter of action, just 52 seconds in, tying the game 3-3. Five minutes later, the Harrington train would not be stopped, pushing the Sea Gulls ahead 4-3 with 10 minutes remaining before the halftime break. Two minutes later,
SU would once again score on a player-up advantage from a CNU card with a goal from
Regan McDonnell, assisted by
Lauren Hackett.
Harrington would add another to her totals with just under four minutes remaining, once again unassisted for her fifth of the half.
Grace Doyle entered the scoring party with under a minute left in the second, giving the Sea Gulls a 7-5 halftime advantage. SU outshot CNU 18-9 in the first half and put 12 of those 18 attempts on target.
The Captains got the scoring started in the third quarter, with back-to-back goals, tying the game 7-7. Hackett would then lead a 3-0 scoring run for the Sea Gulls herself, with two goals and an assist to
Miranda Mears in a six-minute span. Salisbury posted a 10-8 lead heading into the final quarter of action.
Avery Dunbar tallied her first tally of the game to start the scoring in the fourth quarter, extending the SU lead to 11-8. CNU was able to answer and bring the game within two goals with three minutes remaining. The Sea Gull defense tightened up late and shut the door on the Captains, securing the 11-9 C2C Championship victory.
GAME NOTES
- Salisbury improved to 33-0 against CNU. Jim Nestor led his squad to a 23rd title in his 25th season at the helm of the Maroon and Gold.
- Audrey Harrington posted five goals in the first half and put all of her eight shots on goal. Harrington now sits at a career best 41 goals this year, and sits at 73 points, which is three points shy of her career-high.
- Lauren Hackett served up two goals and two helpers. The senior did most of her damage in the third frame, tucking two goals and dishing out an assist.
- Avery Dunbar, Grace Doyle, Miranda Mears and Regan McDonnell all chipped in a goal each. McDonnell added a ground ball, two draw controls and two caused turnovers to her ledger.
- Sydney Block blanketed the Captains in the second half, tying a career-high with three grounders and causing a career-best three CNU miscues all in the ladder segment.
- Abby Fleishell logged a pair of grounders, draw controls and caused turnovers.
- Paige Ellis recorded the win and moved to 16-0 between the pipes, making seven stops.
- The Sea Gulls outshot the Captains 28-20, won the ground ball battle 18-12 and went 18-for-20 on clear attempts.
The Sea Gulls now wait to see where they will land in the bracket of the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Tournament, with the selection show set for Monday, May 4th at 10:30 a.m. on
ncaa.com.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 208 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit
SUSeaGulls.com or follow @SUSeaGulls on social media.
