Box Score
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After a sensational second half on Friday in the squad's home opener, the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team carried that momentum over to Sunday as the Captains blasted four first-half goals on the way to an impressive 4-1 victory over Denison at Turf Field.

Kelsey Clark and Belle Tunstall both scored a goal and added an assist, while Breanne Lowe and Lindsay Hendricks also found the back of the cage for CNU (5-1). The victory is the third in a row for the Captains and the second against a team that competed in the NCAA Tournament last season after the squad also upended Rhodes in the season opener.

Following the same script that worked to perfection against Randolph-Macon on Friday, the Captains pressured early and often. In the first five minutes of play, CNU set the tone with three corners and seven shots. Although Denison's Brittany Benson stood up against the early onslaught and kept the game scoreless, Christopher Newport never relented.

Eventually, at 13:45, CNU lit up the scoreboard. On the play, Clark fired a rocket towards the cage. In a brief moment, Hendricks flashed in front of the goal and deflected the shot just enough to send it past Benson for her second score of the year.

Refusing to let the game slip away, Denison pieced together a response. Although Jamie Dowling batted away the Big Red's first shot of the game, the visitors stayed on the attack. Eventually, Katie McMahon collected a loose ball and cruised down the far side of the field at the 18-minute mark. On a bit of a breakaway, the junior found some space and hit the back of the cage for her fourth goal in the last two days.

With the game knotted at one, CNU quickly regained the momentum. After a foul in the Denison zone, Breanne Lowe earned a penalty stroke at 19:24. With a quick blast into the corner of the cage, the senior star broke the deadlock and gave the squad a 2-1 advantage.

Trailing by one, the Big Red attempted to respond again. With a quick flurry, Denison uncorked a pair of shots looking to even the score. Standing tall against the ambush, Dowling stoned the first attempt before Lowe swooped in and showed off her defensive prowess with a save of her own.

With their lead in jeopardy, the Captains quickly took control of the ball and marched down the field. Just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Hendricks fired a shot that loosened up the Denison defense before Tunstall capitalized and lined a laser past Benson for her team-leading fourth goal of the season.

One minute later, Tunstall returned to the scene and came through again. At 26:25, she chipped a pass across the zone to Clark, who corralled the ball and unloaded a rocket into the cage to give the squad a commanding three-goal lead at 4-1.

Following a Denison timeout, the Big Red tried to regroup. In a two-minute period, the visitors tested Dowling twice, and both times, she was up to the task. With a pair of saves, the senior keeper silenced the DU attack on the way to halftime.

After the break, the Captains kept up the pressure. Although Benson made three quick saves at the beginning of the second half, CNU rarely gave the Denison offense an opportunity to respond. During the first 18 minutes of the half, the Big Red could only muster one shot, and again, Dowling clamped down.

With time whittling away, the Captains sent in Julie Collins to give Dowling a rest. Making her season debut, the junior goalie acquitted herself nicely in the cage. Less than two minutes after checking in, she faced her first shot and swatted it away.

In the closing moments of the game, CNU sent in some fresh legs and picked up the attack again. Setting the tone, the squad fired three more shots and earned two corners to keep the Big Red on its heels. With the win all but sealed up, Collins faced one more shot in the final two minutes of play and stood tall again to clinch the 4-1 victory for the Captains.

Overall, CNU held a 27-9 advantage in shots during the game. On the defensive end, Dowling finished the contest with five saves, while Collins picked up a pair over the final 17:37.

Christopher Newport will return to action next Sunday when the squad heads to Minnie Howard Field in Alexandria, Va. for a 2 p.m. battle with Stevens Institute.

--CNU--