BALTIMORE, Md. -- Behind a pair of goals by Carol Thompson and another suffocating defensive effort, the 18th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team upended Rhodes, 4-0, and gave head coach Carrie Moura her 200th career victory during a neutral-site showdown on a warm Sunday morning at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field.
 
Against the Lynx, Thompson drove home a pair of strikes in the first half before freshman standouts Courtney Fiest and Jackie Kotoriy added second-half tallies to lock up the lopsided victory.
 
With the win, Moura improves to 200-63 during her 15 years at the helm of the Captains. Her .760 winning percentage currently ranks 15th in the history of collegiate field hockey among coaches with at least 200 victories. It also ranks eighth among active coaches at all levels of the NCAA.
 
For the season, Christopher Newport now stands at 6-1 overall, while Rhodes is 2-3.
 
Despite the early-morning wake-up call, the Captains looked well rested and came charging out of the gate. Just over two minutes into regulation, Abby Cryts grabbed control on the far side of the field and stormed towards the circle. With some space, she fed the center of the zone as Kotoriy and Thompson crashed down. In a flash, Kotoriy tipped the roller to Thompson, who banged home a dart to open the scoring.
 
With an early advantage, Christopher Newport smothered the Rhodes attack. The Lynx attempted an aerial assault and lofted a pair of rainbows, but Rachael Allshouse picked off both attempts. Later, Brittan Muir caught up to a streaker on the far side of the field to cut off a 2-on-1 opportunity before Alexa Weaver cleared out a centering feed after RC pieced together its deepest run of the day.
 
On the other side, Christopher Newport kept consistent pressure on the Rhodes defense. Thompson slipped a pinpoint pass to Kotoriy, who burst free on a breakaway, but the Lynx goalie met her in the middle of the circle before any damage could be done. Minutes later, the freshman speedster corralled another feed, spun around a defender, and drew a corner, but RC was up to the challenge again.
 
Despite the defensive stands, CNU continued to threaten until Thompson broke through again. In the 22nd minute, the senior jumped a passing lane, split a pair of defenders at the top of the zone, and cruised towards the cage before drilling another screamer on a breakaway to lock up a 2-0 edge.
 
Staring at a two-goal deficit, the Lynx attempted to respond in the final 10 minutes of the first half, but the CNU defense never gave an inch. Muir was a beast in the far corner, taking on two Lynx attackers while breaking up a pair of runs. Later, Mackenzie Neylon grabbed possession of a roller into the circle before Weaver dismantled another Rhodes rally. The senior robbed a pair of midfielders, forced an errant pass, and lofted a 10-yard teardrop over the RC attack to flip the field and keep the 2-0 lead entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the Captains continued to shine in all facets of the game. Less than two minutes into the stanza, Kotoriy flashed her wheels again as she broke free on another sprint towards the cage. After the Rhodes keeper tackled her in the middle of the circle, CNU earned a penalty stroke, but Bailey Whitaker's blast towards the right pipe was deflected just enough to keep it from sneaking through.
 
Later, relentless pressure by Madison Doss on the near side of the field led to a string of penalty corners in the middle of the period. During a three-minute span, the Captains earned three corners and unloaded six shots, but RC's goalie pieced together an acrobatic effort to stymie the surge momentarily.
 
Never leaving the offensive end, Christopher Newport continued searching for a little more breathing room. Finally, in the 58th minute, Fiest orchestrated an incredible run along the left end line. Less than 24 hours after posting three assists in the squad's victory over Bridgewater, the first-year star showed off her scoring touch against Rhodes. Dusting the defense, she left a slew of defenders in her wake as she barreled towards the cage before pounding one home from the doorstep to snatch a 3-0 lead.
 
Six minutes after Fiest's tally, Kotoriy added the final nail. After frustrating Rhodes throughout the contest with unrelenting pressure, she capitalized on her efforts in the 64th minute. After the Lynx failed to clear the zone, Kotoriy grabbed the roller and blasted a rocket from inside the circle. Although the goalie managed to stone the initial attempt, the freshman pounced on her own rebound and connected on her second effort to lock up the four-goal advantage.
 
With more than enough cushion, the Captains settled in for the final six minutes. Looking to hold Rhodes without a single on-target attempt, Muir snatched up a pair of rollers towards the circle before Ashley Hiltabrand and Courtnie Greene double-teamed a midfielder and forced a turnover in the final minute. Capping things off, Muir broke up another pass before Neylon dropped down for a tackle as time expired to secure the shutout.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot Rhodes, 36-1, and held a 17-0 lead in penalty corners. Stephanie McKinney earned the victory with 59 spotless minutes of work before Olivia Davis took over and helped nail down the team's fifth shutout of the year.
 
CNU will return to action on September 21 when the team heads to Ashland, Virginia for a 7:30 p.m. bout with Randolph-Macon.
 
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