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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After the defense reigned for over 90 minutes of action, it was naturally a defender who ended things on the offensive side of the ball. In the 98th minute of action, Christopher Newport freshman defender Kira Warner snuck home the game-winning goal, helping CNU slip past Mary Washington (8-6-2, 2-4-1) in CAC action. The Captains improved to 11-3-2 overall with a 7-0-0 mark in league play with the overtime winner. 

Coming into the Wednesday night tilt, the Eagles of Mary Washington were tied for sixth in the CAC standings, looking to secure one of the last spots in the 2014 conference tournament. The Captains were in first place with a perfect record in league play, coming off back-to-back shutouts against St. Mary's (Md.) and Marymount. 

In extra time, Mary Washington saw an early miss come back to bite them as the Captains turned the tables and dominated the remainder of play. Within the first two minutes of overtime, the Eagles got behind the CNU defense and a pass across the goal mouth found Leah Roth open in the box. Her blast went high, though, ricocheting off the crossbar for a near-miss. 

As CNU let out a collective sigh of relief, the offense ratcheted up the pressure with a pair of shots over the next two minutes. Midfielder Kate Hurlock found a seam and drilled a shot right into the hands of Mary Washington netminder Charlotte Owens. Then, a minute later, sophomore Victoria Perry slipped by a defender and crushed a hard shot on-net, also stoned by Owens. 

The gamewinner came with less than three minutes remaining after a foul by Mary Washington gave Christopher Newport a free kick from the left side. Senior Joy Piirto stepped up to take the kick and lofted a kick into the box. The first ball dropped in between a host of players, where sophomore defender Sam Rabinek reached it first and pelted a shot off of Owens' legs. In a scrum in front of the goal, the ball squirted out to the left, where Warner found herself in front of a wide open goal and poked home the game-winning goal. It was her second career score and first winner. 

The goal was preceded by stellar defensive play from the back lines in the game. In a slow first half, both defensive groups did a solid job limiting offensive opportunities. The few chances on-frame were easily stopped by both goalkeepers, as Owens posted three stops and CNU sophomore Haley Casanova turned away a pair of shots. The best chance for the Eagles came as the cloc expired going into halftime, as Meghan Turney headed a shot toward the goal that Casanova picked out of the air. 

Christopher Newport raised the pressure in the second half, forcing Owens to make five saves. Perry looked ready to get CNU the win with less than five minutes left in the half when she forced the Mary Washington goalie to make a stellar save off a corner kick by Piirto.

CNU finished with 17 total shots including 11 on-goal. Owens managed 10 saves in goal for the Eagles, while Casanova turned away four shots on-net by Mary Washington. Perry led the offensive pressure by CNU, putting four of her five shots on-goal. 

The Captains have just two games remaining on the regular season schedule, slated to travel to Frostburg State (10-4-3, 4-2-1) for a 2:00 pm kickoff on Saturday, October 25.