NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Behind a suffocating defensive effort and a first-half goal by Ariana Samuel, the 11th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team took down Lynchburg, 1-0, during a hard-fought non-conference battle on a warm Wednesday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
Facing a high-powered Lynchburg attack, CNU swarmed the Hornets with a stifling defensive effort. Olivia Davis made five saves for the Captains to earn her seventh win of the season, while the corner defense continued its stellar play. The Hornets earned seven corners during the contest, including four in the second half, but Christopher Newport withstood the onslaught and brushed aside every attempt.
 
On the offensive side, Samuel provided the only spark CNU would need as the sophomore drove home her fourth goal of the season off a feed from Rachael Allshouse in the 31st minute.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 7-1 on the season. The setback drops Lynchburg to 4-5.
 
In a sign of things to come, Samuel nearly lit up the scoreboard early on as CNU had the game's first great scoring opportunity. Minutes into the contest, Rachel Cooke slipped a feed up the center of the field, which sliced through several defenders before landing on Samuel's stick. With space in the circle, the sophomore whistled a shot that just got a piece of Lynchburg's goalie.
 
After surviving Samuel's early attempt as well as on-target ropes by Allshouse and Courtney Fiest, the Hornets put together an offensive stand of their own. Shining on the other side, Izzy Diz won a one-on-one battle inside the circle before intercepting a cross to thwart another rally. Moments later, Davis stoned a shot with her pad before Diz cleaned up the rebound.
 
Still pressuring the Captains, the visitors had a dangerous look in the 27th minute. A slip pass at the top of the circle opened up a Hornet with a clean look at the cage, but Kennedy Johnson took care of the play. Light as the breeze, Johnson made up ground and bolted out to the arc before ripping the ball away.
 
Unfazed by the defensive stand, Lynchburg continued to press, but Johnson eventually sent the ball up the field before forcing an errant pass on a clearing attempt by the Hornets. Minutes later, after the visitors earned a corner, Brittan Muir deflected the roller and knocked it out of the zone before any damage could be done.
 
After withstanding Lynchburg's rally, Christopher Newport found its footing on the other side. With a defender on her hip, Cooke smacked a rope into the circle. Eventually, Allshouse deflected the bullet to Samuel, who grabbed control, spun, and split a pair of Hornets with a dagger to the back of the cage for a 1-0 edge just before halftime.
 
Looking to respond, Lynchburg pushed the ball into the circle in the final few moments of the first half, but Bailey Miller badgered an attacker and forced a turnover to keep the one-goal lead.
 
Following the break, the two teams traded punches. Early on, Muir closed off a play at the top of the arc on the defensive side. Shortly thereafter, Cooke carved up the Hornets with another well-placed pass to Allshouse. Cruising into the offensive zone, the senior eventually sailed a centering feed to the far post, but it just missed connecting with a stick.
 
Continuing the back-and-forth battle, Davis kicked away a roller along the left post to baffle a Lynchburg attempt, while Allshouse was tackled on a sprint going the other way.
 
Still fostering a one-goal lead, the Captains dug in on the defensive side. With 17 minutes remaining, the Hornets earned a corner attempt, but Fiest stood tall and knocked down a blistering shot before it could sneak through. Later, the visitors attempted to run a little give-and-go, but Muir jumped the return feed and cleared it. She also broke up an insert along the far post to close off another rally.
 
Following that stand, Lynchburg had its most dangerous run in the 60th minute, but Davis starred again. An attacker broke free on the right side and cut towards the cage. With no one else back, Davis bolted out, hit the turf, and made a sensational sliding kick save to punt the ball away at the last second.
 
With time becoming a factor, the visitors had another breakaway opportunity after a failed CNU corner. Facing a jailbreak, Diz stayed deep and disrupted the run just enough before reinforcements could arrive. Later, Courtnie Greene stole the ball away from another attacker, while Cooke and Johnson played a great two-man game on the near sideline to whittle crucial seconds off the clock.
 
Continuing to fight in the final few minutes, Diz won another one-on-one battle, Samuel and Cooke both picked off rollers, and Johnson dropped down for a great tackle on the sideline before keeping possession to help close out the 1-0 triumph.
 
The shutout marked Christopher Newport's fifth of the season. Meanwhile, it was the first time Lynchburg was blanked in over a calendar year. The Hornets had scored at least one goal in 22 straight games and were held scoreless only twice since the 2014 campaign.
 
Overall, CNU out-shot Lynchburg, 13-9, while the Hornets held a 7-3 edge in penalty corners.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Sunday when the team takes on Centre in a neutral-site battle at Eastern Mennonite in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
 
---CNU---