DANVILLE, Ky. -- Less than a minute into overtime, Rachael Allshouse broke free from the defense and slammed home the game-winning goal to give the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team a thrilling 3-2 victory over Centre during an edge-of-your-seat non-conference battle on Friday evening at Joe McDaniel Field.
 
Although Allshouse capped off the festivities and sent the CNU sidelines into an all-out frenzy, several Captains played key roles in the late-game heroics. Josie Morgan scored the equalizer with less than four minutes left in regulation, while Carol Thompson assisted on the game-tying goal and helped spring Allshouse in overtime with a tremendous pass at midfield.
 
Along with her work at the end of the game, Allshouse also opened the scoring early in the first half. Friday's performance marked her first-ever multi-goal outing. Meanwhile, Brittan Muir added her team-leading third assist of the season, while Sarah Miller chipped in with a pair of huge defensive saves.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 3-0 on the season. The setback drops Centre to 2-1.
 
After the Colonels managed to snatch a 2-1 lead midway through the second half, Christopher Newport began piecing together its epic comeback. In the 66th minute, the Captains called for a timeout and regrouped. Following the stoppage, Thompson immediately stole the ball off the restart and cruised towards the goal.
 
Needing a quick strike, Morgan followed suit and crashed down on the cage. With a sliver of daylight, Thompson shuffled the ball over to Morgan, who punched home her third goal of the season to even the score at two.
 
Back on even ground, the Captains survived a late scare to force overtime. In the waning moments of regulation, Centre earned a penalty corner. On the play, the Colonels managed to fire an on-target shot, but Bailey Lien swatted it aside. Off the rebound, the hosts had another solid look, but their ensuing shot sailed wide, which sent the game into an extra session.
 
In overtime, Centre took control first, but Rachel Cooke clamped down on the initial surge. The freshman battled the Colonels along the near sideline, breaking up several passes while refusing to give an inch. Later, after the hosts managed to get the ball into the CNU end, Cooke knocked down another feed and quickly took possession.
 
Looking to counter, Cooke sent a perfect roller to Thompson, who broke free on a dead sprint towards midfield. With only one defender back, Thompson slipped a pinpoint pass to Allshouse, who scooted free on a breakaway. One-on-one with the Centre goalie, the sophomore standout cut hard to her right and eventually got the goalkeeper on the ground. Still rolling with a clean shot, she rattled a rocket into the back of the cage before the Centre defense could catch up.
 
The victory marked CNU's third straight one-goal win over Centre dating back to their NCAA Sweet 16 battle in 2013.
 
Although Allshouse's strike added the perfect punctuation mark, the entire game was a highlight-reel affair. Early in the contest, the Captains struck first off a corner attempt. Following the same script that has worked wonders over the past year, Muir took control at the top of the arc, waited for the defense to pursue, and fed a roller to Allshouse, who unleashed a dart to put CNU on the board.
 
Although the Colonels managed to knot the score at one in the 17th minute, the Captains stepped up on the defensive end. Muir made a key stop following a Centre corner attempt, while Lien laid out to break up another play before Alexa Weaver cleaned up the trash in front of a wide-open cage and cleared the zone to prevent another shot.
 
Shortly thereafter, Lien and Weaver clamped down on another corner attempt before Cooke took control and kept the ball pinned along the sideline and fought a host of Colonels to help run out the clock on the first half.
 
After halftime, the defense remained vigilant. Just moments into the second stanza, Mackenzie Neylon swooped in and swatted the ball away before a Colonel attacker could unload a shot. Muir also broke up a deep run and Miller dropped down while showing off outstanding stick skills to stone a Centre shot in the 44th minute.
 
Despite Centre's second goal just over seven minutes later, the Captains never relented. Thompson showed off her relentless hustle along the near sideline as she badgered an attacker, stole the ball, and helped flip the field. Later, Madison Doss helped keep the ball in the CNU end by intercepting a clearing feed before Christopher Newport's momentum-turning timeout, which led to Morgan's equalizer and Allshouse's winner.
 
Overall, the Captains held a 14-7 lead in shots and an 8-5 advantage in corners. Lien finished with a pair of saves for CNU, while Kirby Roberts had seven for the Colonels.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Sunday when the squad takes on DePauw at 10 a.m. in a neutral-site showdown at Joe McDaniel Field.
 
---CNU---