NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Piecing together a dominant debut, Lily Bryngelson scored twice in her first collegiate action, while Madison Doss also added a pair of strikes for the Captains as the Christopher Newport field hockey team rolled to a 6-0 victory over Virginia Wesleyan in the squad's 2017 season opener on a cloudy Friday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
Electric on the offensive end, Bryngelson scored her first collegiate goal on a dart late in the first half before adding another strike early in the second stanza to cap off an outstanding first appearance. Equally impressive in her debut, freshman Jackie Kotoriy also notched three points against the Marlins, while Doss headlined the veteran contingent with a pair of strikes of her own.
 
Just as dominant on the defensive end, the Captains smothered the Marlins and did not allow a single shot during the season opener.
 
Showing no signs of rust, Christopher Newport struck less than 90 seconds into regulation. After earning a penalty corner, Doss inserted the ball to Rachel Cooke at the top of the circle. With a little room to work, the sophomore fed inside to Rachael Allshouse, who backed down the Marlins' goalie before flicking a shot into the far corner of the cage for a 1-0 edge.
 
Eight minutes later, the Captains extended the lead following a relentless attack. Courtnie Greene peppered back-to-back shots to help loosen up the defense. Although both of the initial shots were brushed aside, Doss swooped in and cleaned up the garbage with a pointblank rope off a rebound to grab a two-goal lead.
 
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Christopher Newport stamped out Virginia Wesleyan's retaliation attempts. Their first run was cut off by Brittan Muir before Cooke intercepted a pass and cleared the zone. Later, Mackenzie Neylon added a textbook tackle to end another threat before the Marlins could muster a shot.
 
Fittingly, after their work on the defensive end, Cooke and Neylon helped stretch the lead on the offensive side. In the 21st minute, Cooke helped the squad capitalize on another penalty corner after connecting with Doss, who punched in a dagger along the far post. Minutes later, Neylon blasted a long-range rocket towards the cage. After Kotoriy settled it down, Bryngelson deflected it high into the goal for her first career strike.
 
Marching towards halftime with a 4-0 lead, the defense closed out the first stanza in style. The Marlins earned their first penalty corner after a deep run in the 28th minute. Up to the challenge, Cooke deflected the initial shot before Greene came storming in to grab control and clear the zone. Moments later, Muir cut off a centering feed on Virginia Wesleyan's last threat of the first half to keep the four-goal lead entering the break.
 
Still rolling in the second half, Greene took possession on the far side of the field and laced a crisp pass to Bryngelson at the center of the circle. Taking advantage, the freshman drilled a shot to the back of the cage for a 5-0 lead in the 39th minute. Shortly thereafter, Courtney Fiest blistered a one-timer towards the goal, which Kotoriy deflected for the squad's sixth and final goal.
 
After the offense capped off its afternoon early in the second stanza, the defense closed out the show. Showing off on both sides of the ball, Fiest came through with a great tackle at the top of the circle to slow down a run before intercepting a pass near midfield to close off another rally with 20 minutes left. Later, Kennedy Johnson disrupted a play along the near sideline, which led to an errant pass that Abby Cryts picked off.
 
Still suffocating the Marlins, Cryts came through with a nice tackle to thwart another run before Muir helped close out the contest by cutting off one last rally to seal the victory.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 32-0 advantage in shots and a 9-1 lead in corners. Stephanie McKinney earned her first collegiate victory after piecing together a spotless first half in the cage, while Olivia Davis and Mary Grace Humes teamed up for a pristine second half.
 
The Captains will return to action on Sunday when they host DePauw at 11 a.m.
 
---CNU---