NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Despite a valiant effort by the defense, led by freshman goalie Bailey Lien, the third-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team fell just short in the Capital Athletic Conference championship game as CNU dropped a hard-fought 1-0 double-overtime decision to No. 8 Salisbury on a crisp Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.

Facing one of the top offenses in the nation, Lien came through with eight saves, while Chelsea Hines, Shelby Judkins, and Jordan Snider kept the opposition at bay for over 88 minutes of action. Unfortunately, Salisbury's Yumi Kim found an opening following a penalty corner less than four minutes into the second overtime to seal the victory.

The setback snaps CNU's program-record 19-game winning streak and puts the Captains at 19-1 on the season. Salisbury is now 14-3 and will enter the NCAA Tournament with the CAC's automatic bid.

After 70 minutes of regulation, and a double-overtime marathon in the semifinals on Wednesday, CNU entered the extra session looking to end the game quickly. Unfortunately, Salisbury took control early.

In the first overtime period, SU earned three penalty corners, but Christopher Newport's defense was up to the task. The Captains allowed just one on-target shot during the stanza, and Lien stoned that bullet to keep the game scoreless. Meanwhile, Hines was a wall on the far side of the field, and Judkins clamped down on a corner attempt at the top of the circle before SU could even attempt another shot.

Later, Lichty had a nice run during the final few minutes of the period. She showed off tremendous stick skills near midfield to clear a defender and send the ball deep into the SU zone, but Salisbury's Rachel Clewer came out of the cage and kicked it away. Then, with only a few ticks left on the clock in the first overtime, the senior midfielder stood tall and stopped a pair of surges on the near side of the field to send the game to another bonus period.

After surviving the first overtime, CNU's defense continued to do its job in the second one. Three minutes into the period, Hines played deep and stifled another Salisbury run before sending the roller back into the Sea Gull zone. Unfortunately, the offense struggled to find its footing and SU returned.

Following another penalty corner at 88:40, Kim took control of the ball near the top of the circle, curled to the near side, and found just enough room to sneak a shot through the CNU defense and end the marathon championship.

Overall, Salisbury held a 21-6 edge in shots and an 18-4 lead in penalty corners. However, Lien's eight saves and the suffocating work by the CNU back line kept the Captains in the game throughout.

Finding their rhythm early in the game, Salisbury took control of the tempo from the outset. The Sea Gulls continued to push the ball into the Captain zone in the first half but had little luck converting. During the opening period, Alexa Hendrickson had a clean interception near midfield to slam the door on one SU run, while Judkins and Hines continued to clean up on the back end. Lien also had a sensational effort in goal, pushing aside four shots in the first half, including a pair of darts by Courtney Jantzen.

After halftime, Salisbury continued to mount its attack. The visitors had five shots and four corners in the first eight minutes of the period, but once again, the CNU defense was unfazed. Lien made two more saves during the assault before Christopher Newport mounted its finest offensive run of the game.

Ten minutes into the frame, the Captains took a breath and crashed into the Salisbury end. After earning a penalty corner, the squad chucked a pair of shots on goal, but Clewer stopped the first before Katie Hastings swooped in with a clutch defensive save to bat away a bullet by Kelsey Clark.

Although the hosts did battle back with another offensive stand later in the period, the defense was the story of the game. Marcy Hoath had a key interception near midfield to stymie one Salisbury surge before dropping down and stoning another attempt on the far side of the field heading into a Salisbury timeout with six minutes left in regulation.

Following the break, the Sea Gulls attempted to push the ball into the circle on the far side, but Belle Tunstall showed off her defensive chops and grabbed the roller before pushing it back up the field. Later, with time running down, Lien made another stop, Snider chipped in with a defensive save, and Judkins made a huge block on a corner to send the game into overtime.

Unfortunately, the Captains simply could not break the deadlock as Salisbury had just a little more left at the end to capitalize on a corner and survive the double-overtime thriller.

The field for the NCAA Tournament will be announced on Sunday evening at NCAA.com.

---CNU---