SALISBURY, Md. - During a four-minute period in the middle of the second half, the fourth-ranked Salisbury Sea Gulls scored three times to overcome an early deficit on the way to a 3-2 victory over the #17 Christopher Newport field hockey team on Thursday evening at Sea Gull Stadium.

Although Marlene Lichty opened the scoring for CNU less than a minute into regulation, Salisbury caught fire in the second half and withstood a late run by the Captains to secure the victory. With the win, the Sea Gulls improve to 3-0, while CNU falls to 2-1.

After the Captains secured a quick 1-0 lead and held onto it throughout the first half, the Sea Gulls exerted themselves in the second period. Immediately after halftime, the hosts fired back-to-back shots at Jamie Dowling, but the senior goalkeeper swatted away both attempts. Just seven minutes later, she brushed aside another blast before the SU attack finally broke through.

Fourteen minutes into the second half, Melissa Slocum fed Summer Washburn at the top of the shooting circle. With some open space, the Sea Gull standout launched a shot that found an opening just outside of Dowling's reach, which knotted the game at one.

With momentum clearly on their side, the Sea Gulls capitalized again. Less than two minutes later, Erica Henderson took control of the ball, raced into the zone, and lined another one-timer past Dowling to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.

Staring at their first deficit of the season, CNU called a timeout and attempted to regroup. Despite the stoppage, Salisbury continued its attack. SU quickly earned a penalty corner, and soon after, Amber Holland found Jessica Crew, who continued the surge with her third goal of the season to give SU a 3-1 advantage.

Refusing to go down quietly, the Captains fought back. Showing impressive resolve, CNU earned a penalty corner at 56:32. Senior Lindsay Hendricks fed the ball in, and Shelby Judkins took the pass and drove hard towards the cage. After clearing the defense, she uncorked a laser that found an opening and cut Salisbury's lead down to one at 3-2.

Unfortunately, the Captains could not quite complete the comeback. Although Dowling remained sturdy in the cage and the CNU defense quieted the Salisbury attack, the Captain offense was thwarted as well. Lichty roped a pair of shots late in the second half, but neither one could find an opening as SU locked down and secured the one-goal victory.

During the contest, Salisbury held a 13-8 edge in shots and a 7-5 advantage in corners. Dowling finished the contest with six saves, while Rachel Clewer had three for the Sea Gulls.

Despite the end result, Christopher Newport looked strong in the first half. Lichty got the Captains off to a sensational start when she blasted her first goal of the season just 55 seconds into regulation. That score not only got CNU off on the right foot but also broke Salisbury's shutout streak after SU posted a pair of 6-0 victories in its first two contests.

Nine minutes later, the Captains continued to attack and nearly broke through again with a penalty corner. On the play, Belle Tunstall fed the ball in, and eventually, Jordan Snider roped a blast towards the goal. Unfortunately for the Captains, Salisbury's Katie Hastings swooped in and knocked the shot away with a well-timed defensive save.

After the Sea Gulls held up against CNU's attack, the Captains faced their first test. Just over a minute later, Summer Washburn found a little opening and fired on goal, but Dowling stood tall and kept the hosts off the board with her first save of the game.

Trying to steal some momentum, Salisbury remained aggressive. Just three minutes after their first shot, the Sea Gulls tested Dowling for a second time, but the Captain goalie was up to the task again and swatted the blast away. Shortly thereafter, Salisbury earned two straight corners during a 30-second span, but the CNU defense clamped down and brushed aside both attempts.

With the Sea Gulls making a run, the Captains shot back. CNU earned a pair of penalty corners and fired two shots during a six-minute stretch, but Amber Holland was ready and posted two defensive saves to keep CNU's lead at 1-0 heading into halftime.

Following the break, Salisbury took control and put the game away with their four-minute scoring surge. The victory marked the fifth straight for the Sea Gulls against the Captains dating back to 2007.

Christopher Newport will look to get back on track when the squad concludes its early season road trip with a bout against Shenandoah on Sunday at 2 p.m.

--CNU--