Box Score

LEXINGTON, Va. -- The fourth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team kicked off the 2014 campaign with an all-around excellent effort as the defense clamped down and Belle Tunstall chipped in with a goal and an assist to help the Captains topple Denison, 2-0, in the season opener at Washington & Lee's Turf Field on Saturday afternoon.

A year after leading the Capital Athletic Conference in scoring, Tunstall opened up her senior season with another fine performance as she paced the attack with three points. Lauren Cheatham also got on the board with her first goal of the year, while Alexa Hendrickson chipped in with an assist.

On the defensive end, Christopher Newport suffocated the Denison attack, allowing just three shots on goal. Bailey Lien and Savanah Cummings took care of the rest between the pipes as Lien posted two saves in the first half before Cummings stoned one shot during a pristine second half.

Following a quiet first half, which saw the two teams battle to a 0-0 draw, Tunstall broke the deadlock shortly after halftime. After earning a corner, Hendrickson sent in a perfect feed, which Tunstall corralled and drilled through the Denison defense from eight yards out to give the Captains a 1-0 advantage.

With the lead in hand, CNU withstood a quick offensive spurt by the Big Red before Cheatham landed the final blow. With just over eight minutes remaining in regulation, Tunstall fired a pass through the circle to Cheatham. With some room to work, the junior unloaded a dart from seven yards out that found open spaces and gave the squad a 2-0 edge.

Staring at a two-goal deficit, the Big Red attempted a comeback, but the Captains' defensive unit was simply too tough to crack. Over the final seven minutes of play, Denison managed only two shots. The first attempt was stopped by Cummings before a last-ditch effort was brushed aside before it reached the cage to seal the 2-0 victory.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 13-8 advantage in shots, while Denison led the way in penalty corners, 7-4.

Although the game ended well for the Captains, the first half was a bit of a nail-biter at the beginning. The Big Red managed to snap off the first three shots of the game, but Lien batted away a pair and her defense took care of the other. Following the early surge by Denison, Christopher Newport found its footing.

During the latter part of the first half, the Captains controlled the tempo. The squad peppered the Big Red with seven shots, including two on-target. Unfortunately, DU's Audrey Miller-Foreman was able to turn away solid attempts by both Moira Wright and Taylor Williams to keep the game scoreless entering halftime.

Fortunately, Christopher Newport remained aggressive and eventually found daylight in the second half to seal the season-opening victory.

CNU will return to action on Wednesday for the squad's home opener against No. 19 Lynchburg at 6:30 p.m.

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