NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Led by a tremendous defensive effort and a huge second-half outburst on the offensive end, the Christopher Newport field hockey team rolled past Wesley, 4-0, during a Capital Athletic Conference showdown on a fantastic Friday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
Blanketing the field from start to finish, the Captains did not allow a single shot by Wesley on the way to their seventh shutout of the season. Meanwhile, on the other end, Rachel Cooke came through with a goal and an assist, while Madison Doss added a pair of helpers to help support a well-balanced attack.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 11-3 on the season, including 2-1 in league action. The setback drops Wesley to 4-12 overall and 1-2 in the CAC.
 
In the first half, the Captains set the tone with a relentless effort on both sides of the field. At the outset, Cooke sent the ball into the circle twice and Bailey Miller kept it there with a pair of tackles on Wesley clear attempts, but the Wolverines handled the pressure. Although the visitors momentarily got the ball across midfield, Brittan Muir broke up a three-on-three opportunity at the top of the circle before Mackenzie Neylon stoned a run on the near sideline and weaved her way through three defenders to flip the field again.
 
With control, CNU stepped up on the attack. Rachael Allshouse slammed a cross into the zone and Abby Cryts got a stick on it, but the ball was broken up by a defender. Moments later, Miller got Wesley's keeper on the ground and punched a shot towards the cage, but the roller just missed the near post.
 
Although the Wolverines managed to clear the zone for a brief moment, the Captains never let them get far. In the 17th minute, Doss left a pair of midfielders in the dust with a great run down the far sideline before Carol Thompson broke a defender's knees with a great cut and stormed into the zone to earn a corner.
 
Despite another solid effort by Wesley to keep Christopher Newport off the board, the pressure continued to mount. In the 20th minute, Josie Morgan and Calli Ioannou slipped free and showed off their passing skills while running a two-man weave through the defense, but the ensuing shot was swallowed up by WC's goalie. Later, Ioannou sent a pinpoint pass into the circle, which helped draw another corner, but Thompson's blast was brushed aside.
 
The sustained attack was aided by a breathtaking effort on the defensive end, which continued to frustrate the Wolverines. Sarah Miller made a great tackle at midfield in the middle of the stanza, and Thompson stopped another surge with a stick-check to retain possession. Later, with three minutes left in the opening period, a Wesley attacker wiggled free for a moment, but Miller caught up to the play at the top of the circle to close off the run.
 
Shortly thereafter, Cooke clamped down on a WC pass before Rachael Allshouse flipped the field with a blistering sprint down the far sideline. Looking to capitalize right before half, Bailey Miller drilled back-to-back shots, but the first was stopped by the goalie before the second was knocked down by a defender to keep the game scoreless entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the Captains never lost a step and continued to pepper the Wesley defense. Early on, Doss sent a long feed into the circle before Morgan and Miller banged away in front of the cage after the goalie hit the turf. However, two shots were stoned and a third whistled wide. Undaunted, CNU simply returned to the scene minutes later and finally broke through.
 
In the 41st minute, following a corner, Cooke stopped the ball at the top of the circle and fed it inside to Allshouse. With quick instincts, the second-year star punched a rocket through the defense to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
 
Needing a little more breathing room, Riley Keeter did great work along the sideline to keep the ball in the offensive end before Wesley whistled for a timeout. Following the stoppage, Alexa Weaver floated a rainbow over the defense to get the ball deep inside the zone before patrolling the circle with relentless pressure to keep it there.
 
Finally, in the 60th minute, CNU struck again. Bailey Miller controlled the ball on the far side of the field before sending a long roller into the arc. Grabbing control, Ioannou settled the ball, spun, and smoked a one-timer into the cage to snatch a 2-0 lead.
 
Just over a minute later, after the Captains found themselves back in the circle, Wesley's goalie attempted to clear the ball, but Cooke stoned it at the top of the zone and eventually earned a corner for her efforts. Seconds later, after Doss inserted it from the end line, Morgan burst in and whistled a dart from just inside the circle to snatch a 3-0 lead with nine minutes left in regulation.
 
With little left to prove, Christopher Newport added one final strike in the 67th minute to close out the contest. Once again, Doss served as the facilitator as the junior connected with Cooke, who unleashed a lightning bolt from long range that sailed through the defense and rattled around the back of the cage for her first collegiate goal.
 
With a 4-0 edge, CNU eased into the victory. Overall, the Captains out-shot Wesley, 27-0, and held a 12-0 lead in corners. Benefitting from the defensive dominance, Bailey Lien earned her 51st career win.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Sunday when the squad travels to St. Anne's-Belfield in Charlottesville for a neutral-site battle with Rhodes. Game time is slated for 3 p.m.
 
---CNU---