Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Belle Tunstall scored twice, including the clincher in double-overtime, to send the No. 3 Christopher Newport field hockey team into the Capital Athletic Conference championship game with an edge-of-your-seat 2-1 victory over Wesley on a perfect Wednesday evening at Captains Turf Field.

Although Wesley opened the scoring in the middle of the first half, Tunstall immediately responded with a highlight-reel goal before tacking on another bullet early in the second overtime to seal the victory. Along with Tunstall's efforts on the offensive end, the Captain defense limited the Wolverines to just one shot on goal as Chelsea Hines, Shelby Judkins, and Jordan Snider smothered the opposition.

With the victory, CNU improves to 19-0 and advances to its first-ever CAC Championship game. The Captains will battle second-seeded Salisbury, who earned a title berth with a 2-1 victory over Mary Washington. The championship bout will take place at Captains Turf Field on Saturday. The game time has yet to be determined but will be announced tomorrow on CNUsports.com.

After battling to a 1-1 draw following 70 minutes of breathtaking action, the two teams engaged in a 7-on-7 track meet in overtime. With speed on their side, the Captains broke loose and controlled the tempo. Out-shooting Wesley 10-0 in the first extra session, CNU kept the ball in the WC zone but struggled breaking through.

Pacing the high-octane offense, Tunstall peppered the opposition with a slew of rockets, but Sarah Daniels made three saves. Later in the first overtime period, Snider had a clean look and drilled an on-target blast, but Wesley's Madison Leone crashed the party with a fine defensive save to help send the game into double overtime.

Refusing to go much further, the Captains quickly took control of the ball and stormed down the field. Ambushing the Wesley zone, Tunstall fired a shot less than 30 seconds into the period. Although the initial blast never found an opening, the junior speedster remained in control and corralled the roller once again. With a second chance, she did not miss. In a flash, she unloaded a dart to the far corner of the cage that sent the fans into a full-out frenzy.

During the game, CNU held a 26-2 edge in shots and a 14-4 lead in penalty corners. Daniels made 10 saves for Wesley, while Bailey Lien picked up her 18th victory of the season after benefitting from an airtight back line.

Although the game ended well, it was iffy at the start. Christopher Newport controlled possession throughout the opening moments, but Wesley eventually struck first. After the WC defense held up against an early CNU assault, the Wolverines rebounded after Renee Schneider found a sliver of daylight in the Captain defense in the 27th-minute.

Despite the early blow by Wesley, Christopher Newport was not down for long. On the ensuing possession, Tunstall took control of the ball on the far side of the field. After creating a little room, she opted for an aerial assault as the junior flicked a teardrop floater that skied over the Wolverine defense and found open spaces at the back of the cage for one of the most gorgeous goals of the season.

Following the offensive play of the game, the CNU defense had to do its job as well. In the final few minutes of the first half, Wesley attempted to break the deadlock, but the back line clamped down. Hines stoned a breakaway on the far side with two minutes remaining in the period before Snider took over. One minute later, the senior defender locked down a run in the center of the field before clearing the visitor's last surge just before the horn sounded.

The second half played much like the first as the Captains continued to generate scoring opportunities, but Wesley kept closing the door. Tunstall and Allie Hackbarth each pumped shots just wide in the early going before the defenses took over. Nearly 17 minutes elapsed before either team fired a shot as Judkins kept stifling the Wolverines, while Hackbarth, Marcy Hoath and Marlene Lichty anchored the midfield and rarely let a ball slip past their line.

Finally, with the clock ticking down, the Captains amped up the pressure. With just over 10 minutes remaining, Snider clanked a shot off the near post, while Kelsey Clark uncorked a laser that was stopped by Daniels. Later, Christopher Newport did earn a corner in the waning moments, but the attempt was bottled up and sent the squads into bonus time.

Fortunately, the Captains had a lot more left in the tank as the squad eventually won the overtime sprint and earned its first conference playoff victory.

---CNU---