SALISBURY, Md. -- Facing the nation's top-ranked squad, the Christopher Newport field hockey team stood toe-to-toe with No. 1 Salisbury and forced overtime during the Capital Athletic Conference championship game, but SU was able to survive as CNU dropped a 2-1 decision on Saturday evening at Sea Gull Stadium.

Piecing together an unbelievable effort, sophomore Bailey Lien notched 18 saves in the cage and stopped a penalty stroke in the first half during a magnificent performance. Her 18 saves rank fourth on the program's all-time single-game list and are the most by a Captain since 2003.

Along with Lien, the entire defense held strong against the potent Sea Gull attack, which entered the game averaging an NCAA-best 5.7 goals-per-game. On the offensive end, Carol Thompson opened the scoring with a first-half strike while Madison Doss notched the assist. Unfortunately, Salisbury was able to rebound from the early deficit and knotted the game in the second half before closing out the championship five minutes into the first overtime period.

With the setback, Christopher Newport stands at 12-7 on the season. Salisbury is now 17-1 and headed back to the NCAA Tournament after securing the CAC's automatic bid.

In a rematch of last year's championship game, the Sea Gulls were able to pressure the Captains out of the gate. In a sign of things to come, the hosts earned a pair of penalty corners and roped the first three shots of the contest, but one whistled wide and Lien stoned the other two during the first three minutes of action.

Looking for a response, Alexa Weaver gave her defense a bit of a respite after drilling CNU's first shot of the game, but SU's Rachel Clewer handled the attempt before her offense went back to work. Controlling possession in the early going, Salisbury blistered the game's next five shots. Having played under the bright lights before, Lien was unfazed and locked down the cage with a flurry of saves to keep the game scoreless.

With the defense doing its job, the CNU offense stepped up as well. In the 20th minute of action, Doss and Thompson teamed up on a gorgeous goal. With the ball, Doss sent a perfectly-placed centering feed across the zone to Thompson. After settling in on the doorstep, the freshman secured the roller and tipped it into the back of the cage to put the Captains on the board.

Staring at a deficit, Salisbury pieced together an unrelenting attack hoping to crack the CNU defense. Earning three straight corners, the Sea Gulls looked primed to score. However, Lauren Reinaman came through with a huge play and cleaned up along the far post on the first attempt after Lien went to the ground to make a save. Later, the defense clamped down on the second attempt before Lien stopped the last one to keep the one-goal edge.

Refusing to back down, the Sea Gulls continued to apply pressure, but Lien never relented. On back-to-back darts, she swatted a shot out of the air on a corner attempt before kicking aside another bullet. Later, Mackenzie Neylon cleared the ball and Riley Keeter made a nice run across midfield to give the defense a little break before the hosts went storming back.

With two minutes remaining in the half, the Sea Gulls were awarded a penalty stroke after Lien made a sprawling stop on the hosts' initial run. One-on-one with SU's Mallory Elliott, Lien showed nerves of steel and won the battle after making another diving save to her right to keep Salisbury off the board. Shortly thereafter, Doss got a piece of SU's final shot just before the horn sounded to maintain the 1-0 lead entering halftime.

Following the break, the Sea Gulls continued to mount an attack. Although Lien brushed aside their first two attempts, the hosts were finally able to break through eight minutes into the second half. Following a long pass into the circle, Elliott managed to find a little space on the left side of the cage and quickly deposited her 13th goal of the year to even the game at one.

With the score knotted, the teams battled back-and-forth a bit in the middle of the period. Lien made another clutch save before her offense went back to work. Allie Hackbarth was able to get the ball into the Salisbury zone as the Captains found a little rhythm. Kaila Bernard smacked an on-target shot that was batted away by SU before Belle Tunstall had a solid run that was broken up by the Sea Gulls.

Later, following a Salisbury timeout, Christopher Newport continued to poke at the SU defense. Lisa Murphy drilled a shot that was saved by Clewer before Bernard roped another one that spun wide. Unfortunately, after the Sea Gulls survived that scare, the hosts took control on the offensive end once again.

With time running down in regulation, Salisbury pieced together one last push in the period. Lien made a save before Doss intercepted the ball to clamp down on another run. Needing another huge defensive stand to force overtime, Lien came through with a spectacular game-saving stop off a clean look in the 69th minute before Reinaman helped clear the final attempt to send the game into bonus time.

In the extra session, Salisbury got off on the right foot and pressured the CNU defense. The hosts mustered three straight shots during a one-minute window, but the first sailed wide and the other two were stoned by Lien. Later, Murphy intercepted a deep run by the Sea Gulls in the 74th minute, but SU never gave up.

After wiggling free for a moment in the CNU zone, Summer Washburn found herself deep inside the circle. Chandler Littleton worked her way down to the mouth of the goal as well, and following a solid feed by Washburn, Littleton finished with her first goal of the year to seal the 2-1 victory for SU.

Overall, Salisbury held a 30-5 edge in shots and a 23-1 lead in penalty corners. Despite the discrepancies, Lien kept the Captains in the game with her remarkable 18-save performance.

---CNU---