Box Score GREENCASTLE, Ind. - Belle Tunstall made history on Sunday afternoon as the senior broke the all-time program record for career points after tallying a goal and an assist against Wittenberg as she helped lift the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team to a 5-0 victory over the Tigers in a neutral site battle at DePauw's Reavis Stadium.
After equaling Wendy Wilson's all-time record with her 101st career point on Wednesday, Tunstall eclipsed the 12-year-old mark on Sunday after scoring a goal just before halftime. Ready to make more history, she added an assist early in the second half, which tied her with Haylie Black for the most helpers in program history with 30.
Tunstall's first-half score also moved her into a tie for third-place on the program's all-time goals list with former All-American Caitlin Cahill. She is just four goals shy of matching Wilson's record in that category as well.
Along with Tunstall's historic efforts, four other Captains found the back of the cage on Sunday.
Lauren Cheatham and
Taylor Williams both added strikes, while
Carol Thompson and
Miranda Hept each posted their first career goals. Thompson's tally opened the scoring in the first half, while Hept wrapped up the game with a bullet in the second.
In addition to the well-balanced offensive attack, the defense also did its job beautifully.
Bailey Lien,
Savanah Cummings, and
Stephanie McKinney combined to register nine saves while recording the squad's third shutout of the season.
After stumbling against No. 20 DePauw on Saturday, Christopher Newport bounced back with an impressive showing against Wittenberg. Although the Tigers were able to muster the first on-target shot of the game, Lien batted it away before the offense took over. The Captains earned four corners and Williams blasted a rocket that was stopped by WU's Sarah Brownell. Still on the attack, Thompson found an opening and lit up the scoreboard with a dart at 18:42 to give CNU an early 1-0 advantage.
Looking for more, Christopher Newport pieced together an unrelenting assault. Ripping shots from every angle, the Captains peppered the Tigers with seven straight blasts. Although Wittenberg momentarily held up against the barrage, Tunstall finally broke through. With just over three minutes remaining in the half, she unloaded a rocket that found the back of the cage for her record-breaking goal.
Following halftime, Tunstall continued to impose her will. Just over a minute into the second half, the Captains earned a corner. After Tunstall took control of the ball, she sent a perfect feed to Williams, who hammered home a one-timer that gave Christopher Newport a 2-0 edge.
Staring at two-goal deficit, the Tigers pieced together their first sustained offensive run of the game in the middle of the second half. During a six-minute stretch, Wittenberg poked at the CNU defense with nine shots, including six on-target. Despite the onslaught, Cummings held tough in the cage. The second-year standout clamped down on the surge and made six straight saves to keep the opposition off the board.
After withstanding the Tiger attack, Christopher Newport's offense responded and put the game away. With just over 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Cheatham found some room to work and drilled her third goal of the year. Later, after the CNU defense capitalized on McKinney's first career stop and
Sarah Miller's second defensive save of the season, Hept deposited a pass from
Samantha Snider to cap off the scoring in the waning moments of the game to ice the 5-0 victory.
Overall, the Captains held a 20-14 edge in shots and a 15-9 lead in penalty corners. Cummings paced the defense with six saves, while Lien and McKinney each recorded one.
Christopher Newport will be back in action on Wednesday when the squad returns home for a 6 p.m. showdown with Randolph-Macon.
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