NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Capping off an incredible edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, Courtnie Greene drove home the game-winning goal in the 91st minute of action to lift the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team to the program's first Capital Athletic Conference Championship as CNU locked up a 2-1 victory over No. 6 Salisbury during a double-overtime marathon on a chilly Saturday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
Playing in front of a packed house, the Captains rewarded the CNU faithful with one of the most entertaining battles in program history. After Salisbury stole a lead in the first half, Jackie Kotoriy evened the score early in the second period before the two teams engaged in a back-and-forth overtime slugfest that was polished off by Greene's strike.
 
In addition to the goal scorers, Courtney Fiest assisted on both tallies during the game. With that performance, she established a new single-season freshman record for assists. The first-year phenom now has 11 helpers this year, equaling the third-highest single-season total in program history and topping Samantha Howard's freshman mark of nine set in 2004.
 
Along with the offensive heroes, the CNU defense was simply spectacular. In a back-alley brawl featuring two of the nation's finest defensive units, the Captains came out on top. Alexa Weaver made two crucial defensive saves, while Brittan Muir was a rock on the back line for all 91 minutes. Meanwhile, Mackenzie Neylon added a record-breaking performance of her own. During the contest, the senior standout established a new standard for career minutes by a field player, reaching 4,398. That eclipsed the previous mark of 4,324 set by Shelby Judkins from 2010-13.
 
Equally effective between the pipes, Stephanie McKinney matched her career-high with eight saves to stymie the Sea Gull attack while picking up her 17th victory of the season.
 
With the win, Christopher Newport improves to 17-1 on the year and locks up the CAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The final bracket will be released tomorrow at 11:30 p.m. on the NCAA website.
 
The setback drops Salisbury to 12-4 on the season.
 
With the score knotted at one after regulation, the two teams engaged in a 7-on-7 track meet. The Sea Gulls attempted to end the game quickly and had several scoring opportunities early in the first overtime period. Up to the challenge, McKinney batted a lengthy rope out of the air, booted another attempt with her pads, and got her stopper on a pointblank ricochet. Later, Weaver dropped down and got her stick on a fourth shot right in front of the cage to keep SU off the board.
 
Still working on the defensive end, Greene blocked a corner attempt before Muir made a diving play towards the right post to clean up a hopper that bounced free inside the circle. Moments later, McKinney wrapped up the defensive stand as she came charging out of the cage and kicked away a roller that nearly jump-started a breakaway opportunity for the visitors.
 
Looking to flip the field, Fiest connected with Carol Thompson, who burst towards the offensive end to give the defense a break. Later, Greene launched a pass into circle that just missed Thompson's stick before Rachael Allshouse split two defenders on a sprint up the field that was turned away after Salisbury's goalie met her at the top of the circle.
 
Charging the other way with two minutes left in the first overtime, Salisbury had a two-on-one opportunity, but Weaver chased down the attackers and deflected a shot before McKinney got her pad on a second attempt. Shortly thereafter, McKinney stoned another shot and Neylon poked away an opportunity just inside the circle with less than 10 seconds left.
 
Fighting until the end, Kotoriy threaded a pass through two defenders to Allshouse. Breaking free, the junior chipped the ball around the last SU defender and scorched the turf on a dead sprint up the field. Flashing Olympic-level speed, she managed to get into the SU circle while forcing the Salisbury goalie out of the cage to earn a corner just as the horn sounded.
 
With an untimed play, Allshouse nearly capitalized on her own hustle with a dart towards the goal, but an SU defender managed to get her stick on the ball at the last second. However, CNU earned a second untimed corner on the play.
 
With another opportunity, Neylon and Greene ran a little give-and-go from the top of the circle. After Greene regained possession, she cut back and got the Salisbury keeper on the ground. With a clean look, she curled around and fired a dagger, but the same Sea Gull managed to make another spectacular defensive save to close out the first overtime.
 
Although Salisbury held on to force another 7-on-7 session, the momentum had clearly shifted after Allshouse's epic run. Entering the second overtime, Christopher Newport looked ready to strike.
 
With a fresh 15 minutes on the clock, the CNU defense added one last stand before the offense took over. Greene intercepted a pair of passes, and Weaver went to the ground to break up another attempt inside the circle during the opening moments of the second overtime. Later, Rachel Cooke swiped the ball off the stick of an attacker before Allshouse stormed up the field to give the CNU offense an opportunity.
 
After an errant aerial by the Sea Gulls failed to clear the zone, Neylon took possession at midfield in the 90th minute. Working the ball around, she connected with Muir, who found Weaver on the far side. With some room to work, the senior scooted up the field and drew contact just outside of the arc to earn a restart.
 
On the play, Fiest took the ball and slipped a pinpoint pass through a wall of Sea Gulls. On the other end, Greene did the rest. With one defender to beat, the junior spark plug cut back and sent the Sea Gull spinning to the turf. Still in control, she found a perfect lane and whistled a one timer into the right side of the cage to seal the win and send the Captains into an all-out frenzy.
 
Overall, Salisbury held a 21-14 edge in shots and a 10-4 lead in corners. However, the CNU defense eliminated the statistical advantages to help ice the victory.
 
Just as thrilling as the overtime sessions, the first 70 minutes were equally exhilarating as the two teams engaged in a back-and-forth brawl. Early on, the Sea Gulls generated the first scoring opportunities, but the Captains held strong. Kennedy Johnson made a solid tackle right out of the gate, while Fiest bodied up an attacker and forced a turnover deep inside the defensive end.
 
Later, in the fourth minute, Salisbury slipped free on a breakaway, but Greene caught up to the surge and dropped the attacker inside the circle. Shortly thereafter, Neylon plucked away another lengthy roller inside the arc, but SU continued poking and eventually found a sliver of daylight to score the game's first goal in the sixth minute.
 
Needing to respond, Allshouse earned a corner on the other side of the field after blistering a rocket towards the cage. On the ensuing play, Fiest pounded a shot on the interior before Greene grabbed the rebound and floated a teardrop that just missed catching the crossbar. Keeping the ball on the offensive side, Cooke dismantled the SU midfield unit and built a wall along the near sideline. The sophomore made a tackle on one run and intercepted an aerial on another clear attempt.
 
Meanwhile, Allshouse continued firing away on the offensive side as the junior roped two more shots, but both were turned away by Salisbury's goalie.
 
Trading rallies, SU earned a corner in the 30th minute, but McKinney kicked away the rope. On the other side, Fiest served a roller into the circle and earned a corner in the 31st minute. Later, the freshman put one on cage after spinning around a defender on the far side of the circle, but the defense handled the shot.
 
Continuing the seesaw affair, the Sea Gulls stormed the other way, but Muir knocked down a roller in the center of the zone before Bailey Miller stunted another surge with two minutes left. Later, the visitors earned a corner as time expired on the first half, but Weaver came charging out of the cage and deflected the shot to keep the deficit at one entering the break.
 
Following halftime, the Captains looked re-energized. Just a minute into the second stanza, Fiest snatched the ball out of the air after the Sea Gulls attempted to clear their defensive zone. After settling the ball down, she lined a pass across the field that blew right through five SU defenders. On the other end, Kotoriy capitalized as the freshman got her stick on the ball and deflected it just inside the right pipe to knot the score at one.
 
Back on even ground, Salisbury quickly tried to break the tie. The visitors earned three straight corners during a seven-minute window. However, Greene stole a pass on the first attempt, Cooke got her stick on the second try, and Greene came back to swat a laser out of the sky on the third corner to keep the game knotted at one.
 
Giving the defense a momentary break, Thompson fought tooth and nail to move the ball up the near sideline to flip the field with 20 minutes left in regulation. Hoping to capitalize on those efforts, Fiest drilled a long dart towards the cage. Looking to defend the shot, Salisbury's goalie hit the turf before Allshouse gained possession. With a solid look, the junior just could not quite get enough mustard on the ball to push it past the defense.
 
Still pressuring the Sea Gulls, Kotoriy connected with Fiest, who snapped off a shot that was kicked away. Later, Cooke served one in and Kotoriy tipped it along the doorstep, but Salisbury made another save with time winding down on regulation.
 
Responding on the other end, Salisbury flipped the field with five minutes left, but Weaver ran stride-for-stride with a pair of attackers to prevent any damage. Later, she caught a breakaway from behind, dropped to a knee, and made an acrobatic stop with two minutes left before Muir knocked a pass out of the circle to quiet a second rally and force overtime.
 
Fortunately, the Captains had enough left in the tank to survive 21 more minutes and lock up the historic victory.
 
With the CAC Championship in the books and a ticket punched to the postseason, Christopher Newport will be making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the program's Final Four run in 2013.
 
---CNU---