Field Hockey

Big Days By Cheatham and Young Help Lift No. 9 CNU Field Hockey Past Rhodes, 6-2

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Behind another offensive outburst, which featured two goals and an assist by Lauren Cheatham and Taylor Young, the ninth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team steamed past Rhodes, 6-2, to cap off a perfect opening weekend at Mason Field on Sunday afternoon.

One day after scoring a pair of goals against Hendrix, Young topped that effort with a five-point binge against Rhodes. Cheatham matched that performance with two goals and an assist, while Belle Tunstall had another outstanding afternoon. The junior scored a goal and added two helpers, which bumped her career assist total to 19. She is now tied with Megan McCreedy and Wendy Wilson for third on the program's all-time list.

Right out of the gate, Rhodes tested the CNU defense with an early surge, but the Captains stood up against the attack. After thwarting three shots by the Lynx, including a nice stop by Bailey Lien, Christopher Newport showed off its offensive chops with a sustained run beginning at the nine-minute mark.

Following a penalty corner, Jordan Snider snapped off a shot that was stoned by the Rhodes goalie. Showing resiliency, CNU quickly regained control of the rebound before Young ripped a rocket into the back of the cage for an early 1-0 advantage.

Continuing to attack, the Captains went right back to work. Less than two minutes later, at 10:48, Tunstall found some wiggle room and broke free in the Rhodes zone following a nice feed from Cheatham. With a little space to work, she unloaded a one-timer for a 2-0 lead.

Staring at a modest deficit, the hosts pieced together a run in the middle of the first half. After Kelly Whelan stopped a pair of attempts by Tunstall, the Lynx retaliated. At 15:09, Evy Royther snuck a shot past Lien to cut Rhodes' deficit in half.

Looking to knot the game at two, the Lynx produced another scoring opportunity just two minutes later, but the Captains had an answer. At 16:46, Royther uncorked another shot that looked destined for open spaces, but Snider swooped in and cut it off with a crucial defensive save.

From there on, the defenses took control for the remainder of the first half. Although both squads had chances to light up the scoreboard, Whelan made four saves for Rhodes, while Lien clamped down on a pair of attempts to keep the score at 2-1 heading into halftime.

Following the break, the Lynx held up against an early CNU assault before Lien orchestrated a tremendous effort to keep Rhodes off the board. In less than a 60-second span, the hosts tested Christopher Newport's freshman goalie with four shots. Standing up against the attack, Lien kept the cage clean with four saves to keep the one-goal lead.

Looking for a little breathing room after an excellent defensive stand, the Captains went back to work on the offensive end. Although Rhodes continued to clamp down, the visitors finally found an opening again. Following an earlier shot that helped loosen up the defense, Tunstall took control of the ball and fed it to Cheatham, who chucked a dart into the cage for her first goal of the game at 45:15.

Holding a 3-1 advantage, Christopher Newport added some more insurance shortly thereafter. Once again, Whelan made a nice stop on an initial CNU shot, but the Captains remained unfazed. Eventually, Young found Marlene Lichty, who quickly deposited her second goal of the season at the 50-minute mark.

With the game slowly slipping away, Kat Simpson scored for Rhodes to pull the hosts back within two, but CNU immediately answered. Following another outburst, which featured five straight shots, Young added another dagger off an assist from Snider at 59:17 for a 5-2 lead.

Hoping to eliminate any thought of a comeback bid, Cheatham capped off her day with some more help from Tunstall in the waning moments of the game. With less than 10 minutes left in regulation, Christopher Newport's top facilitator worked through the defense and dished to Cheatham, who added the final punctuation mark with a bullet to the back of the cage.

Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Rhodes, 30-13, and held a 10-4 edge in corners. Lien anchored the defense with eight saves in her second career appearance.

CNU will return to action on Friday when the Captains trek to No. 13 Lynchburg for a top-20 showdown with the Hornets beginning at 7 p.m.

---CNU---

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