GAMBIER, Ohio -- Entering halftime trailing by a goal, the Christopher Newport field hockey team came storming out of the break and pieced together an electric second half to overcome the early deficit and pick up a 2-1 victory over Kenyon during a non-conference battle on Sunday afternoon at Mavec Field.
 
Less than three minutes into the second half, Courtnie Greene erased CNU's deficit and knotted the score at one. Capping off the comeback in the 67th minute, Rachael Allshouse added the final punctuation mark with the game-winning strike to seal the victory.
 
Along with the squad's offensive efforts, Stephanie McKinney contributed four saves to earn the victory. The senior goalkeeper extended her shutout streak to 406:55 before the Ladies struck in the 12th minute on Sunday. With that performance, she became just the second goalie in CNU history to register a shutout streak longer than 400 minutes, joining former standout Elexa Nosonchuk, whose streak of 423:42 during the 2007 campaign stands as the all-time program record.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 4-0 on the season, while the setback drops Kenyon from the ranks of the unbeaten as the Ladies fall to 4-1.
 
After the Captains entered halftime trailing for the first time all season, the squad regrouped in the break and came out on fire. Assaulting the Kenyon defense, the CNU attack went right to work. Jackie Kotoriy smacked a diving shot in the center of the circle before Lily Bryngelson punched one of her own. Moments later, Allshouse earned back-to-back corners after chipping the ball off a pair of defenders.
 
On the second corner, Madison Doss inserted the ball to Courtney Fiest, who threaded a feed across the circle to Greene. Looking to capitalize, she smoked an initial shot that was blocked. Refusing to back down, she secured her own rebound and drilled another dart that cut straight through the defense to knot the game at one.
 
Minutes later, Kenyon attempted to respond but the CNU defense was up to the challenge. On a streak down the far sideline, McKinney inched out of the goal and forced the Ladies to rip a shot from a tough angle that missed the mark. Kennedy Johnson also stayed deep and burst over to the right side of the cage to pressure an attacker and prevent any damage.
 
Still knotted at one, the two teams continued to trade streaks. Allshouse pounced on a dribbler and helped generate another corner opportunity, but Greene's shot was stoned by Kenyon before a second attempt deflected high. Minutes later, the hosts earned back-to-back corners on the other side of the field, but McKinney closed the door on one attempt and Johnson helped block another.
 
With time ticking down, the Captains picked up the pressure. In the final 10 minutes, Bryngelson stole a pass near midfield and worked her way towards the cage, but Kenyon stopped the roll at the edge of the arc. Moments later, Christopher Newport earned three straight corners, but the Ladies managed to thwart the surge and send the ball out of the zone.
 
Unfazed by the stout Kenyon defense, CNU unloaded again. With just over three minutes remaining in regulation, Mackenzie Neylon slammed a ball from midfield into the circle. As the Captains crashed down on the zone, the Kenyon keeper came out of the cage to face the pressure. Although the Ladies held up against the initial wave, a defender attempted to clear the circle, but Allshouse was planted in perfect position at the top of the arc.
 
Jumping on the clearing feed, she intercepted the ball and had a clean look at the back of the cage. With the defense still on the turf after the initial surge, the junior loaded up and hammered a laser that rattled around the cage and gave the visitors a 2-1 lead in the 67th minute.
 
Following a Kenyon timeout, Rachel Cooke immediately stole the ball after the restart and weaved through four defenders to keep possession. Later, Neylon floated a teardrop over the defense to push the ball into the offensive zone before Greene eventually took control, peppered a pair of shots, and settled into the far corner to help run out the clock.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held an 18-9 advantage in shots and an 11-6 lead in corners. Punishing the Ladies in the second half, 15 of CNU's shots came in the final stanza, while nine of their corners took place in the final 35 minutes.
 
In the first half, the two teams traded possession throughout a back-and-forth affair. Kenyon was able to piece together the first lengthy rally, but Cooke tipped away an early run before helping break up a corner attempt after pressuring a shooter at the top of the circle. Later, Johnson took on a pair of attackers in the far corner, won the battle, and eventually cleared the zone.
 
On the other side of the field, Doss twirled around a defender and whistled a shot from deep, which helped generate a corner for the Captains. Although the Ladies managed to shut down CNU's initial insertion, Allshouse and Greene dropped low for a pair of lengthy jousts along the interior before eventually securing a second corner.
 
Unfortunately, Kenyon also managed to stamp out the next opportunity before striking in the 12th minute. After the hosts burst free on a rush up the field, McKinney came out of the cage and challenged the play. The senior eventually hit the turf and brushed aside the early onslaught, but the Ladies continued to pound away and eventually slipped one through for the 1-0 lead.
 
Attempting to retaliate, Kotoriy broke free on a run up the far sideline and sliced her way towards the cage, but Kenyon's goalie came out and made a sliding tackle to break up the surge. Minutes later, Fiest fed the ball around a defender to help free up Kotoriy again, but the freshman's ensuing shot just squirted wide.
 
After surviving Christopher Newport's offensive attempts, Kenyon put together another sustained rally to close out the opening period. The hosts earned a corner in the 25th minute, but Brittan Muir ended the threat with a tackle along the left post after a pair of Ladies crashed down. Later, in the waning moments of the half, McKinney stoned a rocket before Cooke made a diving deflection off a corner attempt to close out the stanza.
 
Following the defensive stand at the end of the opening period, the CNU attack erupted in the second half as Greene and Allshouse capitalized on persistent pressure to overcome the deficit and close out the victory.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the team hosts Catholic at 5 p.m.
 
---CNU---