NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Rachael Allshouse drove home a pair of goals, while Courtney Fiest tied the single-season freshman record for assists as the eighth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team upended Centre, 2-1, during a non-conference match-up on a rainy Friday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
Lighting up the Colonels, Allshouse made her mark after opening the scoring early in the first half before driving home the game-winner in the second stanza. Her second tally marked the 27th of her career, moving her into a tie for ninth-place on the program's all-time scoring list. Meanwhile, it also marked her fifth game-winning strike of the year, vaulting her into a tie for the top spot on CNU's all-time single-season list.
                               
Along with Allshouse, Fiest made a little history of her own. Assisting on the second goal, she recorded her ninth helper of the year. That ties the single-season freshman record established by Samantha Howard in 2004. It also stands as the seventh-highest total among all players in CNU history.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 12-1 on the season. The setback drops Centre to 8-4.
 
Putting the pressure on the Colonels from the very beginning, the Captains were ruthless in the opening minutes. Alexa Weaver kicked off the initial push with an aerial down the far sideline. After Carol Thompson made a textbook tackle to keep the roller in the zone, Allshouse blasted a dart from the top of the circle.
 
Although Centre managed to cut off the initial attempt, Rachel Cooke and Jackie Kotoriy crashed down along the left pipe. Keeping the defense on its heels, the two frustrated the back line while the visitors attempted to clear. Refusing to let the ball slip away, Allshouse eventually regained control and quickly finished what she started.
 
Capping off the run, the junior unleashed another screamer that tattooed the back of the cage for a 1-0 edge in the third minute of action.
 
Keeping the pressure on, the offense went right back to work. Allshouse ripped a ball from the end line that Cooke punched along the post before Mackenzie Neylon served in a perfect pass to Thompson, who blasted a shot from the interior. Unfortunately, Centre held up against the early onslaught and kept the deficit at one.
 
Trying to orchestrate a response, the Colonels had a tough time getting the ball past midfield. In the middle of the period, Brittan Muir pieced together a terrific run to keep the attack in-check. She poked away a roller during an initial rally before riding the hip of another midfielder to force an errant pass that sailed out of bounds.
 
Although Centre finally slipped free and evened the score in the 21st minute, the Captains immediately shook off the blow and went right back to work.
 
After the Colonels' goal, Muir deflected a pass that nearly jump-started a breakaway before slamming another feed out of the circle. Later, Courtnie Greene stripped an attacker at the top of the arc, and Bailey Miller disrupted a pass to end another threat before the CNU attack regained its footing.
 
With time ticking away in the first half, Christopher Newport stepped up the pressure. Showing off her skills on the offensive end, Greene slipped a feed inside the zone to Cooke, who fired a dagger along the post that was kicked away. Minutes later, Greene crisscrossed the field with a dizzying streak that left the defense in the dust, but her eventual shot was stoned by Centre's goalie.
 
Capping off her first-half run, Greene whistled an attempt off a corner in the final minutes of the opening period, but the scorcher just missed the left post.
 
After halftime, CNU went right back to work. Wasting little time, Kotoriy earned a corner in the 37th minute. Eventually, the freshman fed the ball in to Cooke, who settled at the top of the circle. Flashing some razzle-dazzle, Cooke went behind her back to find Fiest along the near side of the field. After gaining control, the freshman punched a roller towards the cage where Allshouse finished things off with a laser from the doorstep to snatch a 2-1 edge.
 
Looking to retaliate, Centre found a rhythm but struggled to convert. Neylon intercepted a pass and dipped around a defender to clear the zone in the 42nd minute. Later, a Colonel came storming back towards the circle, but Muir and Neylon caught up to the play before Stephanie McKinney came out of the cage to brush aside the streak.
 
Still rallying, the visitors continued to test the back line. With 10 minutes left, Weaver deflected a ball before racing back to wall off another attempt along the circle. Kennedy Johnson also joined the fun as the sophomore caught up to a breakaway in the 62nd minute and just got enough of the ball to deflect it away before McKinney cleaned up on the back end.
 
Refusing to go down quietly, the Colonels returned to the zone, but Greene raced back to thwart a run down the far sideline before Weaver dismantled several rallies. The senior pounced on a long feed at the top of the circle before clearing it. Shortly thereafter, she won a sprint for the ball down the near sideline, spun, and flipped it off the shin of an attacker to gain control.
 
With less than 90 seconds left in regulation, Thompson took possession along the sideline and weaved through a wall of defenders to run crucial time off the clock. Later, Weaver batted down another pass by the Colonels before slipping the ball to Cooke, who cruised to the far side and never let Centre regain control before the final horn sounded.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 21-3 advantage in shots and a 9-1 edge in corners. McKinney earned the victory after making a pair of saves for the Captains, while Kristen Mulcahy came through with nine stops for the visitors.
 
CNU will return to action on Sunday when the squad hosts Frostburg State in a Capital Athletic Conference contest at noon.
 
---CNU---