WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The 15th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team pieced together a strong defensive effort but could not find an opening on the offensive end as the Captains dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to No. 14 Catholic during a non-conference battle on Wednesday evening at Cardinal Stadium.

During the contest, CNU's defense withstood 21 shots and held Catholic to just a single goal, but the offense could not find its rhythm during the game. The Captains earned five corners and registered four shots, but the Cardinals stymied the attack and secured the victory.

Savanah Cummings led the way on the defensive end with a career-high 10 saves, including seven in the first half. Making her second straight start, the sophomore held the Cardinals in-check with a tremendous effort during her 70 minutes between the pipes.

On the offensive end, Sarah Miller and Taylor Williams both tested Catholic with on-target shots, but CUA's Analisa Scott held up to finish off the shutout. The four total shots by CNU marked the program's fewest in a single game since the 2008 campaign.

The setback drops Christopher Newport to 6-3 on the season. The victory moves Catholic to 7-1.

Although Carol Thompson was able to uncork the first shot of the game and CNU earned a pair of penalty corners in the middle of the opening period, Catholic quickly established the tone with an impressive assault. During a six-minute window, the Cardinals unloaded eight shots, including four on-goal. Fortunately, Cummings was up to the task and batted away each attempt to keep the hosts off the board.

Continuing to mount an attack, Catholic remained aggressive. After the squad earned a penalty corner with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half, the Cardinals finally broke through. Finding a sliver of daylight in the CNU defense, Kiera McGovern was able to sneak a shot to the back of the cage to give CUA a 1-0 edge entering halftime.

Following the break, the Captains looked to even the score quickly as Williams, Miller, and Belle Tunstall all fired darts during the first nine minutes of the second half. Unfortunately, the first two attempts were brushed aside by Scott before the third scooted wide to keep CNU's deficit at one.

After Christopher Newport's surge, Catholic took control again. Cummings continued to hold up against the barrage with three more saves, including back-to-back stops during a tough one-minute stretch. Her defense also blocked a shot and two more CUA attempts sailed wide, giving CNU some hope for a late comeback.

Unfortunately, Christopher Newport simply could not solve the Catholic defense. Although the visitors earned a pair of corners in the final 10 minutes of action, the Cardinals held strong and clamped down on both attempts without surrendering a shot to seal the 1-0 victory.

Catholic eventually finished the game with a 21-4 edge in shots and a 10-5 lead in corners.

Christopher Newport will be back in action on Saturday when the squad opens up Capital Athletic Conference action with an 11 a.m. battle against York (Pa.).

---CNU---