YORK, Pa. -- Securing a spot in the Capital Athletic Conference Championship, Courtney Fiest drove home the game-winning strike with five minutes left in regulation to break a deadlock and carry the 16th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team to a 2-1 victory over York (Pa.) during the CAC Semifinals on Wednesday afternoon at Kinsley Field.
 
In an epic back-and-forth battle, Fiest landed the knockout punch in the 65th minute. She also assisted on Jackie Kotoriy's strike late in the first half, which erased an early lead by the Spartans. With her goal, Kotoriy continued building a postseason résumé for the ages. The sophomore has now registered at least one point in all five playoff games over the past two seasons and boasts a goal in the last four postseason contests.

Meanwhile, with her three points during the game, Fiest now has 35 this season. That is tied for the sixth-highest single-season total in program history and the most since Belle Tunstall notched 47 in 2013.
 
Along with the offensive heroes, Olivia Davis made seven saves to help quiet the Spartan attack. The back line was equally effective and held York to just five penalty corners after the hosts earned 11 during their regular season match-up earlier this month.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 13-5 and advances to the program's second straight CAC Championship. The Captains will contend for conference supremacy on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Salisbury. The seventh-ranked Sea Gulls punched their ticket with a 3-0 win against Mary Washington in the other semifinal action on Wednesday.
 
The setback ends York's season at 10-8 overall.
 
Entering halftime deadlocked at one, the Captains faced a re-energized York attack early in the second half. Just a minute into the new period, YCP earned a corner and had an opportunity along the right post. Refusing to budge, Kennedy Johnson badgered a pair of attackers for the longest time before slipping the ball out of the circle. Moments later, Bailey Miller made a nice stop on the interior to prevent a shot from close range.
 
Looking to flip the field, Brittan Muir slipped a ball to Rachel Cooke along the far sideline. Piecing together a magical run, the junior midfielder burned nearly half a dozen defenders before working her way into the offensive zone. With the pressure mounting on the YCP defense, Kotoriy punched a ball into the circle, which Fiest chipped into a defender to earn a corner in the 45th minute.
 
Although the ensuing attempt trickled wide, Kotoriy regained possession before Rachael Allshouse pounded away along the left pipe and earned another corner. Later, Ariana Samuel stole the ball back again on a failed clear by the Spartans, which led to a third corner, but shots by Muir and Fiest were blocked by defenders.
 
On their heels, the hosts tried to retaliate but ran into a wall. Locking down the field, Johnson picked off a pair of passes, while Muir bodied up an attacker, lowered her shoulder, and bounced the Spartan before grabbing a roller of her own. Continuing her efforts on the back end, the senior also cleaned out a long feed that snuck into the center of the circle before brushing aside a pair of dangerous balls the slipped free near the left post.
 
After silencing York's surge, Christopher Newport went back to work on the offensive end. Allshouse earned another corner in the 62nd minute, but Courtnie Greene's blast was turned away. Keeping possession, Izzy Diz walled off midfield and broke up a pair of YCP runs before Johnson ripped one away and fired a bouncer into the circle, which earned a corner with six minutes remaining.
 
With a nice look, Fiest slammed a shot towards the cage that was tipped by Miller, but her redirect went high. Seconds later, with the Spartans frantically trying to clear the field, Fiest pushed back in and snatched a roller near the arc. With another opportunity, she capitalized after firing a low burner from the right side of the field, which split the defense and settled into the left side of the cage for a 2-1 edge.
 
Following a York timeout, the Captains handed the game over to their defense. Greene stole a long ball near the arc before piecing together an acrobatic play that stymied another run. Anchored near the top of the circle, the senior made a gorgeous tackle while falling to the turf. Still on the ground, she flipped back and stoned another play by a second Spartan to frustrate the YCP attack.
 
Remaining vigilant, Johnson grabbed an aerial and worked the ball up to Nyla Lewis along the far sideline. Later, Muir blocked a pass, while Fiest poked away another spinner before sending a long strike up the field into the offensive zone. With little time remaining, Allshouse and Fiest flashed their stick skills to whittle time off the clock on the near side of the field while helping close out the one-goal victory.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport out-shot York, 15-11, and held a 10-5 edge in corners during the contest.
 
Similar to the second half, the opening stanza featured plenty of back-and-forth action. Putting pressure on immediately, Muir slammed a pass across midfield to Allshouse, who spun her way into the circle to earn a corner less than 30 seconds into the contest. Later, Johnson pounced on a clear attempt to keep the ball on the offensive end before earning a second corner, but both attempts were turned away.
 
Meanwhile, on the other side, Diz continued to star on the defensive end. The freshman intercepted an early run by the Spartans before racing back to halt a breakaway opportunity after an attacker slipped free with a head of steam in the seventh minute of action. Additionally, Cooke blocked an insert near the top of the circle and won a duel to flip possession moments later.
 
With York refusing to back down, Davis made two huge saves along the left pipe before Cooke pressured a corner attempt and forced an errant shot. Later, the hosts earned two more corners, but Davis made a pair of stops, while Cooke continued to clean up the rebounds.
 
Unfortunately, in the 24th minute, York finally capitalized on its sustained pressure and took advantage of a loose ball following another Davis save to open the scoring.
 
Needing to respond, Christopher Newport found an answer. Lily Bryngelson won the ball back on the left side of the field after taking it from a York defender. Testing the Spartans, the Captains eventually earned a corner in the 30th minute. After Fiest secured the insert, she burst to her right, curled around a defender, and unloaded a screamer towards the cage. At the last minute, Kotoriy tipped the shot and sent it spinning through the hosts to knot the game at one entering halftime.
 
After overcoming the early deficit, the Captains kept the momentum in the second half and used a suffocating defensive effort and a timely attack to upend the Spartans and continue their playoff run.
 
---CNU---