LEXINGTON, Va. - Behind its up-tempo offensive attack, which collected four goals in the second half, the seventh-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey cruised to its 12th straight victory as the Captains stormed past Washington & Lee, 5-1, on Sunday afternoon at the W&L Turf Field.

CNU's top-three scorers all lit up the board as Belle Tunstall drove home her team-leading 10th goal of the year, while Lindsay Hendricks added another one following her two-goal effort on Saturday. Caitlin Cahill also had an outstanding afternoon, blasting a pair of goals. With that performance, she moved into sole possession of third-place on the program's all-time goals list with 35.

Hilary St. Mary also scored for the Captains, while Marlene Lichty, Shelby Judkins, and Kelsey Clark all posted assists during the game.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 14-1 on the season, which matches the program's best mark after 15 games, equaling the accomplishment of the 2007 squad. CNU's 12-game winning streak is also the longest since that same 2007 team went on a 15-game roll.

As they have all season, the Captains came out of the gates on fire, testing Washington & Lee (6-10) with a barrage of shots. Facing an ambush, Kirsten Kyne stood up against the attack. The General goalkeeper kicked aside two CNU shots in the early going before coming up huge on a pair of surges.

At the nine-minute mark, Cahill got loose behind the Washington & Lee defense, but Kyne came off her line and cut off the Captain senior. Six minutes later, she stomped out another clean run by Cahill before Caroline Andress cleaned up the 3-on-2 with a crucial defensive save to keep the game scoreless.

Unencumbered by the stingy General defense, CNU kept up the pressure. The squad came up empty on three straight corners during a six-minute span before earning a fourth at the 25-minute mark. After a solid entry pass and a clean cross, Cahill took control and drove hard to her left. After drawing the defense to the nearside of the field, the All-American cut back and ripped a bullet to the far corner of the cage that gave Christopher Newport a 1-0 lead.

Although Washington & Lee kept its deficit at one entering halftime, CNU came sprinting out of the break. Just four minutes into the second half, the Captains earned another corner. After injecting the ball, St. Mary settled into an opening next to the far side post. From just inside the top of the circle, Judkins lined a blast that St. Mary deflected from her perch next to the goal, which sent the shot spiraling into the back of the cage for a 2-0 Captain lead.

Holding a two-goal advantage, Christopher Newport kept up its attack. The visitors earned six corners and unloaded five straight shots, but the pesky General defense was up to the challenge. The hosts cut off a pair of shots before Kyne clamped down on three to keep the squad's deficit at two with just over 15 minutes left in regulation.

Despite Washington & Lee's defensive effort, CNU never relented. Eventually, Hendricks made a great play near midfield to control the ball before feeding it to Clark, who took the pass and stormed up the sideline into the W&L zone. Making a clean run at the cage, Clark drew the attention of Kyne. After getting the goalie to give up the line, she fed a beautiful cross to Tunstall, who finished off the play with a laser to the back of the cage at 54:56.

Leading by three, CNU went right back to work. After Jamie Dowling stoned the Generals' first on-target shot of the game, the Captain attack broke through again. Just two minutes after helping set-up Tunstall's score, Hendricks lit up the board. Bringing the ball in from the left side of the cage, Lichty dished a quick pass to Hendricks, who blistered a dart past Kyne for her ninth goal of the season.

With the floodgates opened, the Captains burst up the field looking to add some more insurance. After a rocket by CNU loosened up Washington & Lee's defense, Cahill cleaned up with just under 11 minutes remaining in regulation. The senior swooped in, found some space, and uncorked another blast for her second goal of the game and third of the weekend to give the visitors a 5-0 advantage.

Although Claire Townsley eventually answered with the Generals' first goal at 62:24, the hosts could never get back into the game. The suffocating Captain defense snuffed out almost every run by Washington & Lee, and the potent CNU attack took advantage of its opportunities to close out the 5-1 victory.

Overall, the Captains held a 26-3 advantage in shots and a 16-0 edge in corners. Washington & Lee's all-time leader in saves, Kyne added 14 more on her Senior Day, while Dowling had one for CNU.

After finishing off three games in the last five days, Christopher Newport will receive a well-deserved respite. The Captains will return to the field in 12 days when the squad welcomes Houghton to Newport News on November 2 at 5 p.m. Two days later, the squad will wrap up the regular season at home against Wilson on November 4 at 1 p.m.

---CNU---