Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Showing incredible heart and resiliency, the 10th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team battled back from an early two-goal deficit and capitalized on a huge evening by Belle Tunstall to storm past No. 18 Catholic, 3-2, on a sweltering Wednesday night at Captains Turf Field.

After the Cardinals opened the scoring with a pair of goals in the first 12 minutes of action, Tunstall put on a show. The junior speedster collected CNU's first goal of the game and later added assists on a pair of second-half scores to lead the Captains to their 11th consecutive victory.

In addition to Tunstall, Marlene Lichty notched a goal and an assist, while Lauren Cheatham also chipped in with her team-leading 12th score of the year. On the defensive end, Bailey Lien bounced back from a tough start to earn her 10th win behind six crucial saves.

The win bumps Christopher Newport to 11-0 on the season, while the setback drops Catholic to 5-4.

Following the Cardinals early outburst that gave the visitors an imposing two-goal lead, CNU regrouped. Staring at a 2-0 deficit, the hosts pounded a pair of on-target shots during a 40-second surge in the middle of the period. Although both attempts were pushed aside by Catholic's Megan Comunale, the Captains started to find their rhythm.

Before the offense could finally break free at the tail end of the first half, Lien had to make a huge defensive stand. In less than a minute of action, the Cardinals earned a pair of penalty corners and peppered the CNU defense with four straight shots. Although each rocket was on-point, Lien stoned every try with an acrobatic effort to keep the deficit at two.

Following Lien's heroics, the offense took over. With just over four minutes remaining in the first half, the Captains earned a penalty corner. Tunstall took the attempt and sent a solid feed to Lichty, who camped out near the top of the circle. Returning the favor, Lichty dished back to her teammate, who unloaded a rope straight into the corner of the cage for CNU's first goal of the contest.

Back in the game, the Captains came out of halftime with some momentum. However, before the hosts could even the score, Lien had to come through with the defensive play of the game. Just moments into the new period, Catholic orchestrated a jailbreak that saw a host of Cardinals earn free runs into the CNU zone. With nothing but daylight, Lien came storming out of the cage and made a perfectly timed sliding stop to kick aside the ball and clean up the breakaway.

Once again, following the defensive stand, the offense found new life. Just five minutes after Lien's play, Tunstall and Cheatham teamed up on the tying score. At 48:43, Tunstall drilled a rocket from just inside the circle that deflected cleanly to Cheatham. After securing the roller, the sophomore sensation knotted the game at two after blistering a dart past Catholic's goalie.

Back on even ground, the defenses clamped down and prevented either squad from earning a clean look at the cage. During a tough stretch in the middle of the half, the Captains even played a person down for four minutes after receiving a pair of green cards. Despite the obstacle, the remaining players held it together before returning to full strength.

With time winding down, Christopher Newport made one last run. After earning a penalty corner, the squad set up with only 67 seconds remaining in regulation. Looking for one last goal, Tunstall passed the ball to Lichty, who settled near the top of the circle. After taking control, the senior drilled a bullet that squirted through the defense and sent the CNU faithful into a full-out frenzy.

Although a minute still remained on the clock, the Captains' defensive unit held up. Even after Catholic orchestrated one last opportunity following a penalty corner, CNU brushed aside the attempt to seal the incredible come-from-behind victory.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 14-11 edge in shots and an 8-4 lead in penalty corners. Lien finished with six saves for the Captains, while Comunale had four stops for the Cardinals.

CNU will return to action on Saturday when the squad heads to St. Mary's for a Capital Athletic Conference showdown beginning at 11:30 a.m.

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