NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Suffocating their second straight opponent, the Christopher Newport field hockey team shut down the potent DePauw attack and erupted for three second-half goals to pull away from the Tigers during a 4-0 victory on a sun-splashed Sunday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
After ranking sixth in the nation in goals-against-average last year, the Captains have picked up right where they left off with back-to-back shutouts to open the 2017 campaign. Against DePauw on Sunday, Stephanie McKinney came through with six stops to stifle the Tigers, while Brittan Muir and Mackenzie Neylon helped anchor the back line with crucial defensive saves during a first-half onslaught by the visitors.
 
Along with the defense, Rachael Allshouse came through with an early goal to open the scoring before assisting on a strike by Bailey Miller to cap off the contest. In between, freshman Lily Bryngelson struck for the second straight game, while fellow first-year standout Courtney Fiest added her first collegiate goal.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 2-0 on the year, while DePauw falls to 1-1.
 
At the outset, the CNU defense was the star of the show. Facing a veteran-laden squad that ranked among the national leaders in scoring average last season, the Captains blanketed the field. In the early going, Neylon broke up a long run with a tackle at the top of the zone and later threaded a pinpoint pass through several Tigers to clear the ball.
 
Still facing an early surge from the visitors, Kennedy Johnson stayed deep and disrupted a breakaway opportunity before DePauw earned a corner in the 12th minute. After the Tigers inserted the roller and worked it around the top of the circle, Courtnie Greene came bursting in and stole the ball straight off the stick of a shooter and bolted down the field to give the defense a breather.
 
With control, the Captains went to work. Although DePauw momentarily gained possession and tried to clear the zone, Carol Thompson stoned the feed at the top of the arc and eventually drew a corner. Later, Jackie Kotoriy slammed the ball off a foot of a defender to earn a second attempt, but DU held strong and kept the game scoreless entering the midpoint of the first half.
 
Needing a spark, Kotoriy came back and put on a showcase along the far sideline. The freshman took on several defenders, intercepted a pass, and spun her way into the circle. With one final Tiger in her way and no clear shooting lane, she took advantage of the situation and quickly earned a corner.
 
Although DePauw held up against the initial wave, Allshouse was relentless. Standing tall along the left post, she faced a wall of Tigers and never relented. Pounding away, she eventually found a sliver of daylight to sneak a shot just inside the pipe to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.
 
Trailing by one, the visitors stepped up the attack but ran headfirst in a wall anchored by Muir and Neylon. The squad earned a corner shortly after CNU's strike, but Muir got low and swatted a centering feed out of the circle. Moments later, Neylon stole the roller and punched it out of the zone to stifle another threat.
 
Still looking for an opening, the Tigers came charging back in the 28th minute with a ruthless attack. During a rapid-fire assault, Neylon brushed aside an initial shot before McKinney elevated for an acrobatic, out-stretched save. Seconds later, another attacker punched the rebound towards the cage, but Muir was settled on the right side of McKinney and closed off the pipe to end the threat.
 
Later, Muir picked off another pass and pushed the ball to Ariana Samuel, who blew up the near sideline to give the defense another break. Although the Tigers worked the ball down the field one last time right before the half, Johnson stole it back, burst through a pair of midfielders, and cleared the zone again to keep the 1-0 lead entering the break.
 
After halftime, the Captains went back on the attack to stretch their lead. Although the Tigers silenced an initial run by CNU, Kotoriy eventually took control and fed the ball to Bryngelson, who tipped it around a defender to Fiest. With a little space to work, the freshman unloaded a dart near the right post to grab the two-goal edge.
 
Looking to respond, the Tigers whistled for a timeout and earned a pair of corners, but CNU shut down both attempts, including a kick save by McKinney. Minutes later, McKinney batted down another shot, while Rachel Cooke made her presence felt on the near side of the field. The sophomore standout stole a pass towards the circle and cut around an attacker to end the DU rally.
 
Just as dominant on the defensive end, Alexa Weaver put together a run to remember as well. The senior cut off a roller down the middle of the field, bullied an attacker on the near sideline to force a turnover, and bruised up another midfielder to regain possession again after the Tigers attempted to work the ball into the circle.
 
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Bryngelson added a highlight-reel goal to help put the game out of reach in the 55th minute. After working her way towards the center of the circle, she stood face-to-face with a pair of defenders. Needing to clear some space, she faked a pass to Madison Doss, which opened up a shooting lane after the entire defense bit on the play.
 
Capitalizing on her own heads-up move, she simply turned and whistled a screamer into the far corner of the cage for a 3-0 edge.
 
With a little more breathing room, the defense came through with one final stand as time ran down. McKinney made another stop before DePauw earned one last corner. Looking to finish off the shutout, Muir intercepted a pass deep in the circle before Weaver punched another roller away to end the Tigers' last stand.
 
After the defense finished off its afternoon, the attack added one last highlight in the waning moments of regulation. Allshouse grabbed control of the ball near midfield. Flashing her speed, she cruised past three defenders on a breakaway. Although her first shot was brushed aside, she stayed with the play, gobbled up the ricochet, and dished it to Miller, who smacked a laser into the cage to ice the 4-0 triumph.
 
During the game, Christopher Newport out-shot DePauw, 18-9, while the Tigers held an 8-6 edge in penalty corners.
 
The Captains will return to action on September 8 when the squad kicks off a trip to Ohio with a 5 p.m. battle against Oberlin.
 
---CNU---