LEXINGTON, Va. -- Rachael Allshouse scored a pair of goals, and the defense pieced together a tremendous effort as the Christopher Newport field hockey team took down Washington & Lee, 2-1, during a non-conference battle on Sunday afternoon at the W&L Turf Field.

During the contest, Allshouse gave CNU an early lead with a first-half strike before adding the clincher in the second stanza to seal the victory. On the other side, Bailey Lien equaled her season-high with eight stops, while Brittan Muir and Sarah Miller both contributed defensive saves. The two standouts are now tied for fifth on the program's all-time career list with eight defensive stops.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 8-2 on the season. The setback drops Washington & Lee to 6-4.

In the first half, the two teams traded runs while battling back and forth. Washington & Lee had the first sustained surge after flooding the CNU zone in the seventh minute. Refusing to bend against the pressure, Lien went down to the turf twice to stone a pair of shots, while Miller cleaned up on the back end and pushed aside a roller along the right post before the hosts earned a corner. Still holding strong, Muir came out of the cage and helped break up an initial shot off the corner attempt before the Captains flipped the field.

Looking to jump start the attack, Alexa Weaver was persistent along the far sideline, battling a pair of Generals before stealing the ball and firing a pass into the circle. Kana Hashigami nearly capitalized on the play, but Washington & Lee's goalie made a diving save to stop the shot. Fortunately, the Captains kept the ball in the circle, and after Bailey Miller rolled it out to Allshouse, the sophomore standout fired a scorcher from just inside the arc that cut straight through the defense and settled into the back of the cage for a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.

Staring at a one-goal deficit, the Generals attempted a quick response. During a two-minute stretch in the middle of the period, the hosts earned three straight corners, but the Captains held strong again. Washington & Lee's first shot deflected off the side of the cage before Rachel Cooke broke up the second attempt. Moments later, Lien made another diving stop and also swallowed the rebound before the CNU attack gave the defense a break.

Putting together a counter-strike, Madison Doss picked off a pass at midfield and simply burned the defense, winning a sprint down the near sideline. Unfortunately, her centering feed just missed a pair of sticks in the circle. Minutes later, Josie Morgan stole the ball from two Generals and eventually earned a corner for the Captains after battling her way into the circle. Although Cooke unleashed a dart from the arc, the ball was eventually deflected and sailed over the cage to keep CNU's lead at 1-0.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, the defense continued to do its job as well. Washington & Lee slipped free on a two-on-one break, but Lien made a fully-extended, diving stop to brush aside the surge. Later, just before halftime, the hosts went on another run and earned four consecutive corners. Standing up against the assault, Cooke forced an off-target shot and deflected another attempt, while Weaver put pressure on the fourth corner, and Muir swooped in on the back side with a textbook defensive save to keep the cage clean. 

Unfortunately, following the last stop, the Generals earned a penalty stroke after the ball got lodged under Lien. With a free look from seven yards out, Washington & Lee capitalized just before halftime to even the score at one entering the break.

In the second half, Christopher Newport set the tone quickly and pressured the W&L back line. Early in the stanza, Allshouse chipped the ball into the circle before Doss blistered a shot that was kicked away by the Generals. Later, Muir and Mackenzie Neylon prevented a pair of clearing attempts, but Morgan's ensuing shot just sailed wide.

Although the initial pressure was handled by the hosts, the Captains never relented. Still fighting, Doss battled her way back into the circle and earned a corner in the 47th minute. After inserting the ball, Cooke rolled it over to Weaver, who pushed it into Allshouse. Facing a cluttered zone, the sophomore managed to find a sliver of daylight and cashed in with a rocket to the back of the cage for a 2-1 edge.

Looking for more, Doss returned to the scene moments later and kept the ball inside the circle before Morgan and Calli Ioannou pounded away with three straight pointblank darts, but the Generals' goalie held up against the onslaught.

Facing a relentless assault, Washington & Lee attempted to retaliate, but the CNU defense was just as determined. Following a W&L timeout, Lien made a huge stop, Cooke jumped into the passing lane, and Doss cleared the zone. Shortly thereafter, the hosts worked their way back down the field, but Lien made a stop off a corner attempt and Cooke interrupted another play with 10 minutes left to clamp down on the surge.

Hoping to add a little wiggle room, Christopher Newport went back to work on the other end. In the 62nd minute, after the squad earned a corner, Neylon drilled a dagger that was kicked away. Although the deflection rolled right back to Cooke, the freshman's follow-up was stoned as W&L's goalie made a leaping, out-stretched stop to bat the high screamer over the crossbar and keep the hosts within striking distance.

With time winding down, the Generals stepped up with an intense rally. Following a Washington & Lee corner, the circle transformed into a frantic battlefield. The hosts began punching at the ball with reckless abandon, but Lien refused to break. Diving and leaping in front of the cage, the senior made a pair of stops, while Sarah Miller also stoned a rocket along the right post for a nifty defensive save that helped the Captains keep the lead.

Following the surge, the defense earned a breather with a well-deserved timeout before heading back onto the field for the final five minutes.

After the stoppage, Lien chipped in with another save, and the back line continued to shine. Cooke rode an attacker down the sideline to prevent an open look before Bailey Miller put pressure on a General along the 25-yard line. Although the hosts managed to work the ball forward, Cooke poked away another dribbler to run more time off the clock before Weaver closed things out. The junior eventually took control and showed off spectacular stick skills as she motored her way across the length of the field. Refusing to give up possession, she eventually found her way down to the far corner before the clock hit zeros to close out the win.

Overall, Washington & Lee held a 22-15 advantage in shots and an 11-5 lead in corners, but the CNU defense was up to the task throughout the contest. In addition to Lien's eight saves, Ariyel Yavalar made nine stops for the Generals.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Thursday when the Captains take on Kenyon in a neutral-site battle in Winchester, Virginia.

---CNU---