NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Bailey Lien recorded her 50th career victory, while Rachael Allshouse posted her first career hat-trick as the Christopher Newport field hockey team pieced together a well-balanced effort to storm past St. Mary's (Md.), 7-0, during a Capital Athletic Conference clash on a gorgeous Wednesday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
Making history during the game, Lien became just the 25th player in Division III history to reach 50 career victories and only the fourth active goalie at any level of the NCAA to achieve that feat. Making three saves against the Seahawks, the senior standout was flawless between the pipes and eventually helped the Captains notch their sixth shutout of the season.
 
On the other side of the field, Allshouse erupted for her first career hat-trick as the sophomore drove home a goal in the waning moments of the first half before adding a pair after the break. Bailey Miller also pumped a pair of goals, while Josie Morgan collected two assists to balance out a well-rounded attack.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 10-3 overall, including 1-1 in the CAC. The setback drops St. Mary's (Md.) to 3-9 overall and 1-2 in league action.
 
In the early going, the Captains flashed some defense as the Seahawks put pressure on the hosts. Mackenzie Neylon cut off a deep run in the fifth minute, while Alexa Weaver also swiped the ball back after the visitors regained possession for a brief moment. Still battling, SMC pieced together a dangerous threat in the 11th minute, but CNU held strong again.
 
Initially, a Seahawk slipped free, but Madison Doss raced back to break up the opening run. Unfazed, St. Mary's regained control, but Lien dove onto the turf to prevent a shot before Weaver cleaned up on the back side. Although SMC eventually earned a corner, Sarah Miller stoned a roller along the near post to disrupt the play before Carol Thompson grabbed control, burned through the defense, and flipped the field in the 15th minute.
 
After surviving the early scares on the defensive end, Christopher Newport put together a response. Following a penalty corner, Rachel Cooke pounded away at the Seahawks with a relentless assault before an SMC miscue handed CNU a penalty stroke. From seven yards out, Sarah Miller took the free shot and whistled a dart into the left corner of the cage to break the deadlock with 14 minutes left in the half.
 
Equally adept on the other side of the field, Miller flashed her defensive chops with an outstanding run to quiet St. Mary's response. The senior deflected a pair of deep rollers in front of the cage before helping stone a late corner attempt as well. After the Seahawks inserted the ball, Miller batted down a shot along the near post to keep the one-goal advantage.
 
Hoping for a little more breathing room, the Captains returned to the offensive end and earned a corner as time expired on the first half. With an untimed play, Brittan Muir slid a pass over to Morgan, who drew a pair of defenders towards the far side of the field. With little room to work, she managed to slip a feed into Allshouse, who banged home her first strike with a pointblank bullet to give the squad a 2-0 lead entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the Captains kept the pressure on the SMC defense. After Neylon threaded a pass across the length of the field, Morgan and Miller found themselves on a two-on-two break. With plenty of room to work, Morgan eventually grabbed the ball and pulled the defenders towards her before pushing a pass out to Miller. With a clean look, the freshman pounded home her first career goal to snatch a 3-0 edge.
 
Looking for more, Christopher Newport continued to find success early in the second half. In the 44th minute, the hosts earned a corner. Although the Seahawks pressured Weaver on the far side of the field, the junior showed tremendous stick skills and kept control before punching a pass to Allshouse, who quickly knocked home her second goal. Just over a minute later, Abby Cryts took possession and flipped a feed through a cluttered zone to Miller, who swatted the ball into the cage for her second strike.
 
Staring at a five-goal deficit, St. Mary's worked the ball down into CNU's end, but the Captains continued to dominate on both sides. Sarah Miller closed off the far post on a deep surge by the Seahawks, Cooke bullied several attackers, and Thompson eventually batted down a pass to end the threat.
 
Shortly thereafter, Miller lofted a rainbow over the heads of several Seahawks to spring Allshouse along the far sideline. Showing off her wheels, the second-year star cruised past a host of midfielders and burst into the circle. Face-to-face with SMC's back line, she spun and hammered a backhanded shot through the defense to cap off her hat-trick in the 56th minute.
 
With little left to prove, the Captains added one final strike with 10 minutes remaining. Showing off her passing skills once again, Neylon sailed another long roller across the field to Riley Keeter. After taking possession, the junior slipped a pinpoint pass through three defenders to Kana Hashigami. One-on-one, the junior slapped a shot through the legs of the goalie to wrap up the scoring.
 
After finishing their time on the offensive end, the Captains did some last-minute work on the other side to close out the win. St. Mary's broke free on a two-on-one, but Muir scooted back to clamp down on the run. Later, she interrupted another play along the sideline before Thompson and Cooke batted down a pair of passes to help thwart SMC's final push and lock up the shutout.
 
Overall, CNU held an 18-3 edge in shots and a 6-3 lead in corners. Along with Lien's time in the cage, Olivia Davis came in during the final few minutes and pieced together a pristine effort to close out the contest.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Friday when the squad hosts Wesley at 6 p.m.
 
---CNU---