NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Lisa Murphy erupted for five points, including two goals, to help pace a potent offensive attack that carried the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team to a 5-0 victory over Frostburg State during a Capital Athletic Conference clash on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
Along with Murphy's career-high five-point performance,
Courtnie Greene added a goal and an assist for CNU.
Mackenzie Neylon and
Taylor Williams also found the back of the cage, while
Bailey Lien and
Stephanie McKinney combined on the shutout.
Kana Hashigami also contributed a defensive save for the Captains.
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 13-2 on the season, including 5-0 in the Capital Athletic Conference. The setback drops Frostburg State to 8-8 overall and 1-3 in league action.
From the outset, the Captains put their impressive attack on full display after earning a penalty corner in the first minute of action. With an opportunity to make a quick statement,
Alexa Weaver inserted the ball to
Brittan Muir, who tapped it out to Murphy. With a clean look at the cage, she wound up and blistered a rocket that spun through the zone and gave CNU an immediate 1-0 edge.
Continuing to mount an assault, the hosts earned another corner in the 13th minute and struck again. This time, after a bullet by Greene loosened up the defense, Neylon hammered home the rebound after settling alongside the right post to give the squad a 2-0 edge.
Flashing some defense as well,
Sarah Miller had a solid tackle at the top of the circle to prevent a deep run by the Bobcats. Later, the visitors earned a penalty corner, but an errant pass was stolen by
Cori Black before Cheatham cleared the zone. After regaining possession, the Captains quickly tossed another goal on the board following back-to-back corners.
In the 18th minute, Murphy pumped a shot off the corner, but the defense blocked the roller. Remaining vigilant, Greene collected the ball and fed it back across the zone to Williams, who slammed home her first goal of the season to give the hosts a 3-0 edge.
Although the FSU defense withstood another surge by the Captains to keep the deficit at three, the CNU back line was equally impressive. Facing a deep run by the Bobcats late in the half, Hashigami caught up with an attacker who slipped free to disrupt a breakaway. Moments later, after Frostburg State earned a corner, Black came rushing out of the cage and forced a wayward shot that helped Christopher Newport carry the 3-0 lead into halftime.
After the break, the CNU defense continued to hold steady. Facing an up-tempo attack, McKinney made two clutch saves to keep the visitors quiet. Following the second stop, the Captains quickly mounted a response on the other side of the field.
Following the save, Greene eventually took control of the ball and tapped a pass to Cheatham, who blew by a Bobcat. With Murphy streaking down the near side of the field, Cheatham split a pair of defenders with a pinpoint pass. After taking control, Murphy found herself one-on-one with the goalie. After a quick cutback, she fired her second goal of the game to give CNU a 4-0 edge in the 45th minute.
Pulling away, Christopher Newport eventually tacked on one final goal just nine minutes later. Fittingly, after another corner, Murphy sent a feed across the top of the circle to Greene, who whistled home a one-timer to cap off the scoring with her first collegiate goal.
Although the Bobcats attempted a late rally, the Captains were up to the challenge. McKinney came through with two more saves, while Hashigami cleaned up another run to close out the contest and seal the 5-0 victory.
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 16-10 edge in shots and a 12-7 lead in penalty corners. McKinney contributed four saves for the Captains, while FSU's Jackie Gover had five for the Bobcats.
CNU will return to action on Wednesday when the squad caps off the regular season with a 6 p.m. bout against No. 5 Salisbury at Captains Turf Field.
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