Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Kelsey Clark scored a pair of goals in the first half before Belle Tunstall and Lauren Cheatham combined for some fireworks in the second as the ninth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team rolled to its fifth straight win with a 3-1 victory over Washington & Lee on a breezy Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.

During the contest, CNU (5-0) established the tempo and controlled the pace throughout the game. Showing off its prolific attack, the squad out-shot Washington & Lee, 29-2, and held a commanding 15-2 edge in corners. Clark paced the offense with her first career multi-goal effort. Tunstall also added her fifth score of the season following a tremendous run by Cheatham.

From the very outset, Christopher Newport set the tone early with a goal in the first three minutes of regulation. After the Captains brought the ball into the W&L zone, Clark took control of a roller on the near side of the circle. With nothing but daylight in front of her, the senior wound up and unloaded a bullet right past the Generals' goalie to give the hosts a quick 1-0 advantage.

With an early lead, the Captains continued to pressure the Washington & Lee defense. Tunstall bombarded the zone with a pair of rockets, but Megan Axelrod stopped both attempts. Later, CNU earned four corners in the span of four minutes, but the Generals blocked the squad's two cleanest shots to keep their deficit at one.

Still probing the visitors' zone, CNU rarely let the ball cross midfield for the majority of the first half. In the first 21 minutes of action, the Captains held an 11-0 lead in shots. Later, after Washington & Lee's first try sailed wide, Christopher Newport answered with a vengeance.

Peppering the Generals with a slew of shots, the visitors held up against the assault before Clark broke through again. With just under eight minutes remaining in the half, the Arlington native subbed back into the game and quickly gained control of the ball. With a little wiggle room just in front of the cage, she unloaded another one-timer than spiraled through the W&L defense for her second goal of the contest.

Staring at a 2-0 deficit, the Generals orchestrated their first scoring opportunity of the game at the 29-minute mark. Following a scrum in the CNU zone, Maggie Walker slung a pass back to Lindsey Purpura, who found just enough space to sneak a shot into the cage.

With their lead cut in half, Christopher Newport kept the score at 2-1 before storming back out in the second period. Although Axelrod made an early save for the Generals, CNU kept pressing. Eventually, a track meet broke out on the field with the Captains flying into the zone from every angle.

At 48:45, Cheatham and Tunstall teamed up on a beautiful run. After Cheatham took a great feed in the middle of the field, the two standouts stormed towards the cage. With Tunstall flanked out on the far side, Cheatham dished a quick pass out to the junior. After securing the ball, Tunstall ripped a dart through the goalie for a 3-1 lead.

Refusing to back off, the Captains continued to run. Tunstall led another surge during a 2-on-1 break with Hilary St. Mary, but the two just missed their connection. Later, with time winding down and the result all but determined, CNU released one last onslaught during the final minute of action. Looking to add a little more cushion, the squad could not quite light up the scoreboard again as Riley Hampsch and Emily Doran posted back-to-back defensive saves.

Axelrod finished the game with six stops for Washington & Lee, while Bailey Lien benefited from an outstanding effort by her defenders to earn her fourth straight win.

Christopher Newport will return to action tomorrow when the squad hosts Shenandoah at 2 p.m.

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