NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Claiming the program's first outright Capital Athletic Conference regular season championship since 2013, the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team finished off an undefeated run through league play as CNU took down 16th-ranked York (Pa.), 4-2, during a thrilling regular season finale on a beautiful Saturday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
Picking up their 11th straight victory, the Captains pieced together a well-rounded team effort. Four different players scored a goal as Madison Doss, Courtnie Greene, Ariana Samuel, and Alexa Weaver all found the back of the cage. Meanwhile, Rachael Allshouse assisted on a pair of strikes, and the CNU defense clamped down against the high-powered Spartan attack, which entered the game ranked eighth nationally in scoring average.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 15-1 on the season, including a pristine 6-0 in league tilts. The win also assures the Captains of the top seed in the upcoming CAC Tournament. The squad will kick off the postseason with the conference semifinals on November 1.
 
The setback drops York (Pa.) to 11-4 overall and 3-2 in league action. The Spartans are currently slotted third in the conference standings.
 
Although York managed to strike first on Saturday with a dart in the sixth minute of action, the Captains brushed off the early setback. On the defensive end, the squad stepped up with a tremendous effort. Locking down YCP, Rachel Cooke blocked a bullet just outside the circle before York earned a corner. Unflinching along the left post, Kennedy Johnson dropped down and broke up a pair of attempts on the far side to keep the deficit at one.
 
Shortly after the defensive stand, Carol Thompson burst up the field to give the CNU attack an opportunity. In the 16th minute, Courtney Fiest drew a corner after firing a rope off a defender. Unfortunately, Weaver's attempt along the left pipe was turned away by a Spartan.
 
Trading rallies, York secured its second corner in the 20th minute, but Greene showed off tremendous coordination as the junior extended her stick and knocked a high dagger out of the air before it could find the right post. Moments later, Brittan Muir caught up to a lengthy run along the end line and punched away a pass before joining forces with Mackenzie Neylon on a double-team along the arc to wipe away another threat.
 
Following the defensive stand, Christopher Newport struck on the other side. In the 22nd minute, Fiest swiped the ball off the stick of a defender and rolled it to Allshouse, who settled just inside of the circle. In a flash, the junior laced a low liner towards the cage. Although York's goalie came out to challenge the shot, the ball found its way to Doss, who deflected it through the defense to knot the score at one.
 
Back on even ground, the CNU attack found new life. Fiest stormed into the circle, dribbled the ball on her stick, and earned a corner in the 29th minute. Later, in the waning moments of the first half, Greene served in a roller to Allshouse, who deflected a shot on the doorstep. After York's goalie made an initial save, Bailey Miller attempted to poke the rebound out of the air, but the keeper made another stop from her back to keep the game knotted entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the Spartans took charge but ran face first into the CNU defense. The visitors earned a quick corner, but Weaver stormed out to pressure the shooter before Johnson swallowed up the initial attempt. Later, Muir erased another run along the end line before Fiest and Thompson took over and methodically moved the ball up the near side of the field to give the defense a break.
 
Looking to snap the tie, Greene pieced together a magical run in the 43rd minute. After plucking the ball off the stick of a York midfielder, she torched the YCP defense. Sprinting up the field, she cut back and snapped the ankles of two different Spartans before wiggling her way into the circle. With a little more work left to do, she pulled up along the far side of the arc and unloaded a torpedo that split four defenders and the goalie before settling into the back of the cage.
 
With their first lead of the game, the Captains quickly added some cushion. Checking into the contest in the 49th minute, Samuel provided instant offense. Seconds after entering, she stole the ball from an attacker, won a one-on-one battle to keep possession, and slipped a feed over to Jackie Kotoriy, who raced up the field. Bolting towards the circle, Kotoriy eventually connected with Allshouse, who settled on the right side as Samuel dropped down along the left post.
 
Capitalizing on a perfectly-scripted play, Allshouse laced a missile through the defense towards Samuel. On the back end, the freshman simply deflected the screamer into the cage for a 3-1 advantage.
 
Staring at a two-goal deficit, the Spartans tried to rally, but the Captains remained vigilant. Neylon poked away a roller near the arc before Greene batted down a lengthy pass just outside of the circle. Minutes later, York put together a dangerous surge straight down the center of the field, but Stephanie McKinney came out of the cage and kicked away the attempt before any damage could be done.
 
Responding to York's threat, a pair of veterans teamed up to extend the lead in the 57th minute. Celebrating Senior Day in style, Neylon absolutely destroyed a shot off a corner attempt that looked destined for the back of the cage. Unfortunately, a Spartan sacrificed her body to stop the ball just before it crossed the line to steal a strike from the senior.
 
However, Neylon's efforts earned CNU a penalty stroke, and Weaver took advantage. The fourth-year standout buried her third stroke of the year with a laser to the left side of the cage to earn a 4-1 lead.
 
With the game slipping away, York attempted to regroup, but Christopher Newport refused to break on the defensive side. Cooke brushed off a bruising hit along the circle to cut off one run before Muir stoned a pair of rallies. Later, Thompson flashed some fancy stick work as the senior took possession and worked her way towards the near corner to run crucial seconds off the clock.
 
With time winding down, Kana Hashigami and Riley Keeter pressured the York midfield to prevent a clean run up the field before McKinney walled off the right pipe after a pointblank threat. Although the Spartans eventually managed to strike in the final minute, Doss grabbed control and sliced some time off before Muir took possession near the far sideline to close out the victory.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 13-9 advantage in shots, while both teams registered four corners. McKinney finished with three saves to earn her 15th win of the season, and Sam Keating came through with six stops for York.
 
---CNU---