HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Rachael Allshouse drove home the game's first two goals, while the defensive unit continued its suffocating run as the 11th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team blanked Centre, 3-0, on a sweltering Sunday afternoon at the EMU Turf Field.

Continuing her domination of Centre, Allshouse scored twice against the Colonels for the third straight year. Moving up to fifth on the program's career goals list with her performance on Sunday, Allshouse now has 33 strikes in her time with the Captains, including six total tallies and three game-winners against Centre.

Along with Allshouse's efforts, Courtney Fiest contributed three points during the victory, and the defense blanketed the field with a tremendous 70-minute showcase. Facing one of the nation's elite attacks, which entered the contest ranked fourth in the NCAA with a 5.00 goals-per-game average, the Captains tormented the Colonels all day long. CNU eventually brushed aside 18 penalty corners, and Olivia Davis made seven saves to earn the victory.

Coupled with her work in a 1-0 triumph over Lynchburg on Wednesday, Davis became the first CNU goalie to register back-to-back 70-minute shutouts since Bailey Lien accomplished the feat against Frostburg State and Mary Washington during the 2016 campaign.

With the win, Christopher Newport improves to 8-1 on the season. The setback drops Centre to 6-3.

Early on, the Colonels were the aggressor, but the CNU defense set the tone quickly. Standing up to the early storm front, Kennedy Johnson punched the ball out of the circle in the first few minutes before Davis booted a roller that slipped towards the cage a few minutes later. Continuing to pressure, Centre earned its first corner of the contest, but Rachel Cooke deflected the initial shot before Courtnie Greene cleaned up on the back end.

After withstanding the Centre surge, Christopher Newport found its rhythm on the offensive end. Allshouse sliced a pass up the sideline to Cooke, who broke free and eventually earned a corner. Although the Colonels cleaned up a pair of shots, Ariana Samuel pushed her way back into the circle to force a second opportunity shortly thereafter. Taking advantage of the corner, Jackie Kotoriy sent one in to Fiest, who crushed a screamer towards the far post. Getting a piece of the ball, Allshouse elevated the bullet with a deflection to send it spiraling into the cage in the 11th minute.

Trying to retaliate, Centre earned three straight corners in the middle of the period, but Davis ended the rally with a pair of kick saves. Later, the Colonels returned and smacked a rope from the near side, but Davis knocked down another rocket to cut off the rally.

With time ticking down in the first half, the Captains picked up the pace on the offensive side. Angelica Florendo took the ball into the circle and stood tall against a wall of defenders before poking a shot towards the cage. Moments later, Allshouse whistled one wide but stayed with the play. Although the Colonels attempted to clear the ball, Allshouse quickly regained possession and flicked a dart inside the right post to snatch a 2-0 lead entering halftime.

Following the break, Centre earned a slew of corners to kick off the second half, but Christopher Newport remained vigilant. Greene blocked a shot off the first attempt, Brittan Muir cleaned up a slip into the center on the second, and Greene came back to pick off a feed on the third try to close out the early surge.

After Greene's stop, CNU pieced together a counter punch as Fiest blew up the field on a breakaway. The sophomore speedster drew the goalie out of the cage, but the keeper eventually stoned her initial shot. Securing the rebound, Fiest whipped another attempt, but a Centre defender made a tremendous stop on the goal line to keep the deficit at two.

After surviving the scare, the Centre attack went back to work but struggled to find its footing. Keeping the opposition off balance, Izzy Diz stoned an insert along the far side of the circle, Davis swallowed a shot off a corner, and Nyla Lewis broke up a run before any damage could be done. Moments later, Greene lofted an aerial to Cooke at midfield and Bailey Miller intercepted a clear attempt along the sideline to give the defense a brief respite.

With possession, the Captains were hit with a green card in the 57th minute, but even playing 10-on-11, CNU continued to shine. First, Fiest pushed the ball into the circle, reversed course, and capitalized on a backhand to snatch a 3-0 lead. Later, on the defensive side, she knocked down a high rocket off a corner to help cap off the shorthanded situation.

Holding a three-goal edge, Christopher Newport settled in on the defensive side and focused on the shutout. Christina Slick grabbed a roller at midfield and poked away another dribbler along the sideline. Later, Centre continued earning corners, but Cooke blocked a shot and Davis hit the turf to clean up a ball that squirted into the circle with four minutes left.

Continuing standing tall, Greene disrupted a run at the arc, Julia Glowatsky ripped the ball away from a midfielder, and Lewis walled off another run. Fittingly, with time running down, Centre earned one last corner, but the Captains were up to the challenge. Madison McGowan stoned a high-rising rocket to seal the 3-0 triumph.

Overall, Centre out-shot CNU, 19-15, and held an 18-3 advantage in corners. However, the Captains converted one of their three corner attempts and held the Colonels scoreless on their 18 tries.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday at 4 p.m. when the Captains face No. 2 Messiah in a nationally-ranked showdown at Mary Washington.

---CNU---