Box Score
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Capping off Senior Day in spectacular fashion, Lindsay Hendricks drove home her 10th goal of the season with just under three minutes remaining in the first overtime period to hand the eighth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team an exciting 2-1 victory over Wilson on a chilly Sunday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.

The victory moves CNU to 16-1 on the season and bumps the squad's winning streak to 14 dating back to early September. The loss drops Wilson to 12-7 on the year.

The overtime win also marks the second straight for the Captains after the squad posted an identical 2-1 victory over Houghton during a double-overtime thriller on Friday. Overall, CNU is now 4-0 in overtime after the team also picked up 3-2 victories during extra sessions against No. 19 Catholic and No. 5 Mary Washington earlier in the year.

Following a crucial second-half goal by Belle Tunstall, which knotted Sunday's game at one, Christopher Newport took control in overtime. From the outset, the Captains stormed into the Phoenix zone and tested the Wilson defense while setting a breakneck tempo during the 7-on-7 session.

In rapid succession, CNU unloaded a pair of shots during the first 30 seconds of overtime, but Wilson's Gina Weigold stood up against the attack. Later, the Phoenix keeper stoned a rocket by Tunstall, and after the sophomore standout came back with another blast, Arissa Ward made a nice defensive save on the follow-up shot to keep the Captains off the board.

Refusing to slowdown, Christopher Newport continued to rip rockets from every angle. Despite the onslaught, Weigold looked strong in the cage, kicking aside two more attempts before Chelsey Smentkowski came through with Wilson's second defensive save of the overtime period.

Unfazed by their opposition's defensive efforts, CNU continued to attack. With time running down in the first overtime, Chelsea Hines took control of the ball near midfield and made a sensational move to slice through a pair of defenders on the near sideline. After gaining some wiggle room, she eventually found Caitlin Cahill, who made a run back into the Wilson zone.

Unimpeded with a clean look at the goal, the senior sensation pushed hard until Weigold came out to meet her near the top of the circle. After the Phoenix goalie made a slide tackle to clip Cahill's run, Hendricks took control of the loose ball on the left side of the cage. Following an initial shot that was blocked, the fourth-year standout regained possession and ripped a bullet into the back of the cage, which sealed the 2-1 victory.

During the overtime period, CNU out-shot Wilson by a commanding 10-0 margin and kept the Phoenix from making a true offensive push during the entire session.

Although the game ended on a positive note, the beginning did not go quite as scripted. After the Captains pumped the first two shots of the game, Wilson responded. The visitors uncorked two tracers during a 15-second span, but Jamie Dowling clamped down on the first before Hines made a gorgeous stick save on the second.

Unfortunately, during the early surge, CNU committed a foul in the circle, which gave Wilson a penalty stroke. With a free shot, Arissa Ward fired a one-timer into the lower left corner that squeaked past Dowling and gave the Phoenix a 1-0 advantage just five minutes into the game.

After Wilson landed the first blow, Christopher Newport took control. Although the squad was unable to break through during the first half, the Captains kept their counterparts on edge. A blast by Hendricks caught a piece of the post in the middle of the period, while Weigold made four saves to keep the hosts off the board heading towards halftime.

Looking to knot the game, CNU continued its assault at the tail end of the first half. Taylor Young, Marlene Lichty, and Allie Hackbarth all had excellent looks during a minute-long surge but came away empty-handed as Weigold continued her strong play entering halftime.

After the break, the Captains continued to press Wilson. The hosts earned four straight corners before generating an outstanding opportunity. Just six minutes into the second half, Tunstall secured the ball on the far sideline and went screaming into the Phoenix zone. With a quick flip, she tossed to Hackbarth, who had settled into an opening inside the circle. Unfortunately, the sophomore's lunging shot went just wide.

Surviving CNU's push, Wilson responded just four minutes later. After scoring the squad's goal in the first half, Ward tried to add a second as she broke away from the Captain defense. Pushing the ball up the sideline, she appeared to have a clean look but Dowling made a spectacular play, coming out of the cage to break up the run.

After that point, CNU dominated possession time. Drilling blast after blast, the Captains tested Wilson with an unflinching assault. Although Weigold continued to keep things quiet, making six straight saves during an impressive run in the middle of the second half, Christopher Newport refused to go down easily.

With just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation, CNU picked up five straight corners. The Phoenix continued to stave off the attempts, but eventually, the Captains were too much to handle. At 62:48, just moments after their fifth consecutive corner, Hackbarth drilled a laser towards the goal. After settling into a nice spot at the left corner of the cage, Tunstall got a piece of the shot and deflected the ball just enough to get it past Weigold and knot the game at one.

Back on even ground, CNU closed out the game in style. Although their last-ditch efforts to win in regulation were stamped out, the Captains controlled overtime before Hendricks wrapped up the regular season with the perfect punctuation mark.

During the game, CNU held a 37-3 advantage in shots and a 31-1 lead in corners. Weigold made 19 saves for Wilson, while Dowling added one for the Captains.

Christopher Newport will now await word on the NCAA Tournament as the official bracket will be released later tonight.

---CNU---