Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Behind a stifling defensive effort and a five-point outburst by Belle Tunstall, the ninth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team continued its early-season surge with a 3-0 victory over No. 11 DePauw on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.

Making the squad's first appearance at home in 2013, the team shut out its second straight ranked opponent after taking down No. 13 Lynchburg, 1-0, on Friday. It marks the first time in program history that the Captains have blanked two straight squads ranked in the NFHCA Top-20.

At the forefront of the defense was freshman Bailey Lien, who made nine saves to earn the victory. She was aided on the back end by a host of standouts, including Chelsea Hines, who picked up a pair of defensive saves. Shelby Judkins also added a stop while chipping in with an assist on the offensive end as well.

While the defense was clamping down on the DePauw attack, Tunstall led the Captains with two goals and an assist. With that helper, she moves into sole possession of third-place on the program's all-time list with 20. She is now two shy of second place and 10 away from the mark held by Haylie Black.

In addition to Tunstall, Lauren Cheatham scored for the fourth straight game, while Allie Hackbarth added an assist as well.

In the early going, the game was played mostly in the middle of the field. Although the Captains earned a pair of penalty corners and DePauw snapped off a shot during the opening moments of the bout, the squads spent the majority of the first half feeling each other out before either one secured a true scoring opportunity.

Despite the quiet start, the pace picked up quickly as the clock ticked down towards halftime. Just six minutes before the break, the Captains earned a corner. After an initial shot, Judkins secured the rebound and found Tunstall, who camped out in front of the cage. With a quick reaction, she took the pass and flicked a perfect shot through the defense to open the scoring at 29:39.

Staring at a modest deficit, DePauw tried to respond before halftime. In the final few moments of the first half, the visitors earned a pair of penalty corners. Refusing to give the opposition even a shred of daylight, Lien and Hines clamped down on the first try by building a wall in front of the cage. Just moments later, the Tigers earned a second attempt, but Judkins made a beautiful sprint to the top of the circle in order to break up the try before the squad could even unload a shot.

Following halftime, the Tigers continued to attack. During the first four minutes of the period, DePauw pieced together four shots, but Lien slammed the door on the first three before the fourth sailed wide. Needing to retaliate, the Captains turned to their two leading scorers, who mounted the perfect response.

Near the 40-minute mark, Tunstall took control of the ball and went soaring down the far side of the field. Ending up near the end line, she sent a perfect feed to Cheatham, who settled in near the top of the circle. After collecting the pass, the sophomore ripped a bullet towards the cage, which glanced off a defender's stick and spun perfectly into the far corner of the goal.

Leading by two with just under 30 minutes remaining in regulation, Christopher Newport had to handle another DePauw surge shortly thereafter. Less than a minute after Cheatham's goal, Lien stoned the Tigers' first shot before Hines came scooting in to clean up another attempt with her second defensive save of the game.

Once again, following an assault by the visitors, CNU had an answer. Although DePauw's Maggie Steele made a pair of stops to keep the deficit at two, the Captains continued to pressure the DU defense. Finally, with less than 17 minutes remaining, the hosts earned a penalty corner and broke through again.

On the play, Tunstall inserted the ball against the DePauw defense. After Hackbarth took control of the roller near the top of the circle, she dished back to Tunstall, who found some space on the near side of the zone. With just one defender to beat, the junior standout made a smooth move to gain some freedom before unloading a dart to the back of the cage for her second goal of the contest.

With a 3-0 lead, Christopher Newport had to fend off one last comeback attempt by DePauw during the final 10 minutes of action. Lien almost singlehandedly silenced the Tiger attack with three straight saves during a 50-second spurt. Later, after CNU was able to clear the zone momentarily, DU came back with two final on-target shots. This time, Lien handled the first before Judkins stormed in and got her stick on the second to ice the shutout.

Overall, DePauw held a 16-10 edge in shots and a 9-8 advantage in corners. Along with Lien's nine saves, Steele made five for the visitors.

Christopher Newport's 4-0 record marks the squad's finest start in program history. Previously, the Captains had opened with three straight wins in 2000. The loss drops DePauw to 1-3 after the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Final Four last year.

CNU will be back in action next weekend when the team continues its five-game homestand. The Captains will battle Washington & Lee on Saturday at 1 p.m. before taking on Shenandoah at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The squad will host its first youth clinic of the season following the latter contest.

---CNU---