Following a scoreless first half, Christopher Newport came out strong after the break. Showing off its relentless assault, the Captains fired three straight shots but every chance was turned away. Later, a Lynchburg infraction led to a CNU penalty stroke, but Jordan Seeley pushed aside
Jordan Snider's attempt to keep the game scoreless.
After the Hornets regrouped for a moment and made a decent run that culminated in a blocked shot, CNU came through with a beautiful series to open the scoring. Following a timeout, the visitors stormed down the field at the 48-minute mark.
Belle Tunstall took control of the ball and charged towards the zone.
After Tunstall drew some contact,
Marlene Lichty took the free hit and fired towards the corner of the cage. Cheatham, who staked out a position on the far post, made a spectacular diving stab to redirect the shot and find an opening for the game's first goal.
Christopher Newport attempted to pad its lead with three more shots over the next seven minutes, but Lynchburg withstood the onslaught. From that point on, the Hornets set the pace and continued to pressure the CNU defense looking for the tying goal.
During a 16-second run in the middle of the half, the hosts fired three shots, including two on-goal. Refusing to give an inch, Lien swatted away both attempts. Later,
Chelsea Hines swooped in and made a crucial defensive save to clean up after another Lynchburg surge before Lien capped off her evening with a spectacular performance.
Less than seven minutes before the end of regulation, the Hornets earned their final scoring opportunity with a penalty stroke. Showing the presence of a veteran, Lien stood tall in the cage. Lynchburg's Nicole Marburger took the free shot and rocketed a dart towards the near post. In a flash, CNU's freshman keeper sprawled out and made a diving stop to keep the Hornets off the board and seal the thrilling 1-0 victory.
Overall, Lien made five saves for CNU, while Seeley matched that effort for Lynchburg. The Hornets held a 17-13 edge in shots and a slim 6-4 lead in corners.
Before Christopher Newport pulled out the victory with an outstanding second half, the two teams engaged in a back-and-forth affair during the opening period. Early on, both squads struggled to find their footing. Although CNU earned a pair of corners during the first 11 minutes, neither squad was able to orchestrate a solid scoring opportunity. Following the quiet period, the Captains pieced together two straight shots, but Lynchburg's Melanie Tenney came through with a solid defensive save to stifle the first chance before Seeley stymied the second.
After overcoming CNU's early surge, Lynchburg's attack responded with an imposing run over the final 22 minutes of the half. During that stretch, the Hornets unfurled 10 straight shots, but Christopher Newport refused to break. The defense cut off a few attempts before Lien stoned the first one on-goal. Later, after two more chances scooted wide, Lien shut down the host's final opportunity to keep the game scoreless and set up her second half heroics.
CNU will return to action on Sunday when the squad makes its home debut with an 11 a.m. match-up against No. 11 DePauw.
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