MEDFORD, Mass. -- The 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end on Monday afternoon as the Captains dropped a 2-1 decision to No. 16 Tufts on a last-second goal during a top-20 showdown at Bello Field
 
After Rachael Allshouse gave the Captains an early lead with a first-half strike, Tufts battled back. Overcoming the halftime deficit, the Jumbos scored a pair of goals in the second period, including the clincher on a penalty corner after time expired, to secure the victory.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 9-2 on the season. The victory bumps Tufts to 8-3 and marks the squad's second victory over a top-20 team this year.
 
After the Jumbos managed to knot the score in the second half, the two squads engaged in a wild, back-and-forth battle to close out regulation. Kicking off the late push, Mackenzie Neylon and Cori Black both fired on-target blasts that were stoned by the Tufts' goalie. Madison Doss also inserted a pair of corners, but the Jumbos handled both, including another rope by Black that whistled wide. Lauren Cheatham muscled an on-target shot as well, but once again, the Jumbos brushed it aside.
 
After withstanding CNU's surge, Tufts went to work. The hosts earned a penalty corner, but Alexa Weaver stormed towards the top of the circle and forced a quick shot that Lauren Reinaman batted down with her stick. The Jumbos also ripped an attempt that scooted off-target before the Captains cleared the zone in the 67th minute.
 
With time running out, Lisa Murphy battled hard along the near sideline to keep the ball in the Tufts zone, but the CNU attack was unable to muster a shot. Eventually, the Jumbos were able to regain control and quickly marched down the field. With just seconds remaining until the final horn, the hosts earned a penalty corner. Looking to capitalize on the opportunity, Dakota Sikes-Keilp took a feed from Maggie Chapman and snuck a shot into an opening to steal the last-second victory.
 
Overall, Tufts held a 14-7 edge in shots during the game and an 11-2 lead in corners.
 
Although the Jumbos came out on top in the end, the game started well for the Captains. Early in the contest, the squad showed off its defense as Brittan Muir broke up an initial shot by Tufts before Bailey Lien kicked it away. The hosts also missed the mark on a later shot, while Reinaman and Kana Hashigami helped lock down the back line.
 
Following the early assault by the Tufts' attack, Christopher Newport received a spark in the 18th minute. After the visitors flipped the field and took control of the ball in the TU zone, Allshouse made the Jumbos pay. The freshman standout scurried in from the right side and stung a shot to the back of the cage, which lit up the scoreboard and gave CNU a quick 1-0 advantage.
 
Holding a lead, Lien buckled down between the pipes and pieced together a solid run to close out the first half. Refusing to back down from a relentless attack, she posted a pair of saves and paced an outstanding defensive effort, which withstood five late shots to keep the one-goal lead entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the defense continued to hold steady. Lien made two more stops in the first eight minutes, while Allshouse also smacked a shot that was stymied by the TU defense. Unfortunately, the Jumbos never backed down. Eventually, the hosts found some daylight in the 44th minute to knot the score at one.
 
Despite a valiant effort to break the deadlock with a solid second-half surge, the Captains could not quite break through before Tufts capitalized on its last-second opportunity to steal the one-goal victory.
 
Christopher Newport will be back in action on Saturday when the squad takes on Denison in a neutral-site battle in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
 
---CNU---