BRIDGEWATER, Va. -- Putting on a passing clinic, freshman Courtney Fiest assisted on all three goals, while the defense blanked its fourth opponent of the season as the 18th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team took down Bridgewater, 3-0, during a non-conference battle on Saturday afternoon at the Jopson Athletic Complex.
 
Setting up all three goals for the Captains, Fiest added her name to the history books with her performance against the Eagles. Her three assists equaled the fourth-highest single-game total in program history and tied the most ever registered by a freshman, matching Samantha Howard's performance against Mary Baldwin on October 22, 2004.
 
Buoyed by her work on Saturday, Fiest now has six assists in just six collegiate contents. That already ranks as the second-highest single-season total by a freshman in CNU history, only three shy of the standard set by Howard over the course of 15 games in 2004.
 
Capitalizing on Fiest's assists, Abby Cryts opened the scoring in the first half before Courtnie Greene and Rachael Allshouse put the game out-of-reach with a pair of strikes in the second stanza.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 5-1 on the season. The setback drops Bridgewater to 1-5.
 
In the early moments of Saturday's contest, the CNU defense had its hands full. The Eagles pressured the Captains but struggled to find an opening. Brittan Muir broke up a surge along the far sideline before Christopher Newport built a wall along the near side. Picking apart every BC attempt, Greene caught up to a 2-on-1 breakaway to stunt a rally before Carol Thompson made a great tackle at midfield and Fiest plucked a floater out of the air to flip possession.
 
Minutes later, after Bridgewater managed to slip back inside the arc, Muir deflected a centering feed before Kennedy Johnson rode it out of the circle to prevent any damage.
 
On the other side of the field, the Captains began to find their rhythm in the middle of the first half. Fiest and Jackie Kotoriy rifled bullets off defenders to help earn three quick corners, but Bridgewater held up against the onslaught. Unfazed by the BC back line, Christopher Newport continued to pressure the Eagles before finally breaking through in the 17th minute.
 
Settling in the corner on the far side of the field, Bailey Miller threaded a feed into the circle. Although the ball was jostled around for a moment, it eventually found its way to Fiest's stick on the left side of the zone. Loading up, the freshman punched it towards the cage, and Cryts tipped it just enough to send it airborne into the back of the goal for a 1-0 edge.
 
Looking to respond, Bridgewater fought its way back into the offensive zone, but Alexa Weaver was unimpressed. The senior swept aside a one-on-one situation with five minutes left in the half before adding another tackle to slow down a second surge while keeping the 1-0 advantage entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the defense remained vigilant. Muir stayed deep and clamped down on an odd-man rush. Later, after Bridgewater earned its first corner attempt, Weaver blew up the play at the top of the arc as she burst through a pair of shooters to gain control of the ball and clear the zone.
 
After the hosts withstood another rally by the Captains, BC tried to keep the pressure on CNU's back line. The Eagles earned their second corner of the contest, but Muir got her stick on a high rope and deflected the shot. Mackenzie Neylon, who moved into the top-10 all-time in career minutes played during the contest, also flashed her defensive chops and intercepted a roller while helping flip the field.
 
With possession, Kotoriy and Allshouse cruised down the field on a jailbreak. Although the Eagles momentarily disrupted the play, the Captains earned a corner for their efforts. After the team's first attempt was shut down, CNU earned a second and capitalized. Fiest took a feed at the top of the arc and pushed a perfect pass to Greene on the near side. With an opening, the junior took a few steps and blistered a shot that rattled around the cage for a 2-0 lead with 13 minutes left in regulation.
 
Following a Bridgewater timeout, the Eagles struggled to find their footing.  Cryts and Neylon kept a lid on the BC attack and disrupted balls before they reached midfield. Later, after the hosts wiggled their way into the circle, their ensuing shot whistled wide.
 
With time ticking down, Christopher Newport looked for one final blow to put the game away. In the 62nd minute, Madison Doss dished a pass inside to Allshouse. With little room to work, she pushed the roller out to Riley Keeter, who slipped a shot through the BC keeper. Unfortunately, an Eagle defender managed to get her stick on the ball just before it crept across the line.
 
As the Captains crashed down on the zone, the defender attempted to clear the ball from the mouth of the goal, but Fiest battled through three Eagles to intercept the feed. Working in tight quarters, she pushed the ball back to Allshouse. Finishing what she helped start, the junior unloaded a dagger through the defense to snatch a 3-0 edge.
 
With the win all but locked up, the defense took over to make sure the shutout remained intact. Stepping up between the pipes, Olivia Davis stoned a shot off a corner attempt and added a kick save in the final minutes to finish off the team's fourth blanking of the year.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 13-4 advantage in shots and a 10-3 lead in corners. Along with Davis' work at the end of regulation, Stephanie McKinney worked 62 scoreless minutes for the Captains while earning her fifth victory of the season.
 
CNU will return to action on Sunday at 10 a.m. when the team faces Rhodes in a neutral-site tilt at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field.
 
---CNU---