NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Behind a second-half strike by Courtney Fiest and a ruthless performance by the defensive unit, the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team punched its ticket to the Capital Athletic Conference Championship with a 1-0 victory over Mary Washington during a grueling semifinal thriller on a perfect Wednesday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
In a defensive struggle, Fiest came through with the game's lone goal off a penalty corner in the 58th minute. Meanwhile, the Captains suffocated the high-powered Mary Washington attack. The Eagles entered the battle ranked fifth in the nation with a 4.17 goals-per-game average while lacing 22 shots per contest. Running headfirst into the CNU back line, the visitors were limited to just six shots without a single one sneaking through the airtight defense.
                                                              
Cleaning up on the back end, Stephanie McKinney made four saves while helping the Captains register their 10th shutout of the season.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 16-1 on the year and advances to the CAC Championship, which will take place on Saturday at 6 p.m. In the title bout, the Captains will host sixth-ranked Salisbury, who upended No. 19 York (Pa.), 3-2, in overtime on Wednesday evening.
 
The setback drops Mary Washington to 11-8 on the year.
 
After a scoreless defensive struggle in the first half, the CNU attack picked up the pressure in the second stanza. Early in the period, Rachael Allshouse sailed a feed into the circle that just missed connecting with a stick. Moments later, Mackenzie Neylon stopped a roller at the 25-yard line and battled her way across the arc before Courtnie Greene pushed another attempt towards the cage.
 
Still pressuring the Eagles, Brittan Muir swallowed a feed near midfield and dished it over to Neylon, who roped a blast into the circle to earn a corner in the 42nd minute. Shortly thereafter, Allshouse punched a pointblank dagger after a scramble in front of the cage, but her attempt was stoned to keep the game scoreless.
 
Refusing to back down, Kennedy Johnson picked off a clear attempt and showed perfect precision as she split the wickets of a defender to keep the ball on the offensive end. Although the Eagles momentarily gained control and flipped the field for the first time in the second half, Neylon caught up to a long cross into the circle before Rachel Cooke swiped the ball away to end the threat before a shot could be taken.
 
After rebuffing the Eagles' offensive overtures, the CNU attack went right back to work. Cooke launched a feed into the circle that Carol Thompson tipped towards the cage. Although the defense held up against the initial shot and the ensuing corner attempt, Christopher Newport never relented.
 
With less than 13 minutes remaining in regulation, Jackie Kotoriy gained control inside the arc and pressured the defense. Although the freshman could not find enough room to unload a shot, she opted for the next best option and earned a corner.
 
Inserting the ball from the end line, Kotoriy rolled it perfectly out to Fiest. After settling the feed, the freshman unleashed a scorching one-timer that tagged the back of the cage just inside the left pipe to give the Captains a 1-0 lead.
 
After that, the defense did the rest.
 
With their season on the line, the visitors tried to respond and pieced together an outstanding effort over the game's final 10 minutes. During a rapid-fire assault, McKinney made back-to-back saves after brushing aside an attempt during a scrum in front of the cage before batting away a tip along the right pipe.
 
Later, with nine minutes left, Mary Washington snuck free on a two-on-one run, but Alexa Weaver raced back, caught up to the streaker on the far side, and tipped the ball away to give the rest of the defense enough time to reset.
 
Following the defensive stand, Christopher Newport attempted to pad its lead. In the 64th minute, Fiest spun around a defender and peppered the ball off a second one to earn a corner. Later, Cooke drove through an Eagle with a bruising run on the far side of the field to collect another corner, but UMW held up against both attempts.
 
With time winding down, CNU called a timeout with just over two minutes remaining. After the break, Thompson wiped away a centering feed, Fiest stopped a roller near midfield, and Weaver won a sprint to the right corner to gain possession. Shortly thereafter, Johnson and Kotoriy stood up against an Eagle attacker and refused to give an inch while forcing an errant pass to sail out of bounds.
 
In the final minute, Kotoriy continued her relentless efforts on the defensive side as she made a tackle at midfield to thwart an initial run before winning a battle against two Eagles to steal possession and run off the last remaining seconds.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 10-6 advantage in shots and a 6-1 lead in corners. Along with McKinney's four saves for the Captains, Jessica Cavolt came through with six for the Eagles.
 
Although the final 35 minutes produced the game's lone goal, the first half was an equally exciting back-and-forth battle. Following an 11-day layoff since their last outing, the Captains relied on their defense in the early going. McKinney kicked away an initial attempt along the near side, while Muir and Greene added tackles to stymie a pair of runs. Later, Kotoriy ripped the ball off the stick of a midfielder and dished it to Allshouse, who stormed up the field to give the defense a breather.
 
Looking for the squad's first offensive rally, Cooke kept the ball near the circle before Fiest unloaded a shot inside the arc. Later, the freshman dueled with a defender hoping to punch a second attempt before earning a corner after tipping a ball off another Eagle, but the UMW defense held up against the initial wave.
 
Responding on the other side, the Eagles regained possession and flew up the field, but McKinney hit the turf along the left pipe to kick away a lengthy feed before Muir grabbed control and sailed it out of the circle. Minutes later, Weaver broke up a pass along the end line and Muir came through with a crucial stop after dropping down to stone a roller just before a shot could be taken deep inside the circle.
 
Retaliating, Johnson threaded a pass up the sideline before Thompson made a tackle at the arc to keep possession. Flashing her stick skills, Fiest dribbled it around a defender and unloaded a dart from the far side in the 31st minute, but UMW's goalie got just enough of the attempt to keep it out of the cage.
 
Continuing to poke at the Mary Washington defense, Kotoriy served a long feed into the circle and Thompson just got a piece of the pass, but the deflection whistled wide. Keeping the ball on the offensive end, Muir threw her body in front of an Eagle and took a vicious hit as UMW attempted to clear the ball. Later, Cooke tried to capitalize and crossed a rope through the defense, but it just missed connecting with a pair of sticks.
 
With less than a minute left in the first half, the Mary Washington attack posed one last threat. The visitors earned a corner and unleashed a bullet from the top of the arc, but McKinney kicked it away. Later, Weaver pounced on a roller inside the circle and sent it spinning the other way to close out the first period.
 
Fortunately, the defense was just as dominant in the second stanza and Fiest took advantage on the offensive end to lock up the 1-0 triumph.
 
---CNU---