SALISBURY, Md. -- Looking to claim the program's second straight Capital Athletic Conference Championship, the 16th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team fell just short as the Captains dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 7 Salisbury in the title bout on Saturday evening at Sea Gull Stadium.
 
During the setback, Brittan Muir continued her assault on the history books. While becoming the first Captain to eclipse 5,000 career minutes played, she also established a new benchmark for defensive saves. The senior stoned a shot in the second half, marking her 17th career defensive stop. That broke the previous school standard of 16 set by Chelsea Hines from 2010-13.
 
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Bailey Miller recorded her fourth goal of the season in the first half. Her strike evened the score at one, but Salisbury eventually responded just before halftime and added some breathing room in the second stanza to steal the league championship.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 13-6 on the season. The victory bumps Salisbury to 16-2 and guarantees the Sea Gulls a spot in the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week.
 
In a game featuring two of the nation's top defenses, Christopher Newport starred early on the back end. Just minutes into the contest, Courtnie Greene intercepted a pass near the top of the arc then picked the pockets of a Sea Gull on the right side of the circle. Later, Miller won a battle inside the zone to prevent a shot before Olivia Davis kicked out a lengthy dart.
 
Pushing back on the other end, Rachel Cooke dazzled a pair of defenders along the near sideline before sending a roller up to Rachael Allshouse, who smashed one into the circle. Moments later, Allshouse flicked the ball off a defender near the arc to earn the first of two corners. Unfortunately, Courtney Fiest's initial shot was blocked before the second attempt went wide.
 
Continuing to trade punches, Salisbury retaliated. Halting the host's first run, Muir dropped down and stopped a pass that slipped into the center of the circle. After SU earned a corner, Davis made a pair of saves before Greene pressured the rebound to close out the rally.
 
Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, the Sea Gulls earned a penalty stroke in the 17th minute and capitalized on the opportunity to steal a 1-0 lead.
 
Refusing to back down, Fiest led Christopher Newport's response. The sophomore dipped, dodged, and darted her way through a flock of Sea Gulls before forcing her way into the circle to earn a corner. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Fiest stopped the insert and backhanded a bullet towards the cage. Although the SU keeper made a tremendous stop, Greene secured the rebound and smacked another attempt. After a Sea Gull managed to get her stick on the ball at the last second, Miller grabbed the ricochet and hammered home a rocket from close range to knot the game at one.
 
Unfazed, Salisbury pushed back. In the 20th minute, Muir stuck with an attacker and forced an errant shot inside the circle. Moments later, Greene ripped away a lengthy feed and Izzy Diz broke up another bouncer before sending it out of the circle.
 
Facing mounting pressure, Muir swallowed up another attacker who tried to leak into the zone on the right side before the hosts earned a corner in the 28th minute. Brushing aside the Sea Gulls, Cooke was relentless. The junior stuck on the hip of an attacker who tried to wiggle free on the left side of the field before ending the threat and clearing the zone.
 
Still battling, Salisbury eventually capped off the first half with one final strike. In the 32nd minute, Davis made a great save, but an attacker collected her own rebound and pushed it into open spaces before the defense could find its footing for the squad's second tally of the game.
 
Staring at a 2-1 deficit, the Captains tried to regroup in the second half. Early in the stanza, Allshouse got the ball into the offensive zone after battling her way up the left sideline. Later, Nyla Lewis kept it there after stealing a clear attempt by the Sea Gulls, but CNU could not generate a scoring opportunity.
 
Finally, after clearing their defensive zone, the hosts struck again. Salisbury earned a corner in the 41st minute, but Muir came through with her record-setting 17th defensive save after batting a high hopper out of the air on the left side of the cage. Sadly, SU eventually secured a second corner opportunity and found an opening on the doorstep to snatch a two-goal edge.
 
Needing to retaliate, Fiest quickly earned a corner on the other side of the field, but attempts by Greene and Ariana Samuel were turned away during a rapid-fire assault. Minutes later, the Captains earned a second opportunity, but the Sea Gulls slammed the door on that corner as well.
 
Keeping Salisbury on its heels, Muir intercepted a clear attempt near midfield before Cooke and Fiest retained possession with stops along the offensive 25. Later, Fiest pressured a midfielder and forced a turnover along the sideline, while Madison McGowan pestered a defender in the right corner to keep the pressure on. Unfortunately, the visitors could not crack the airtight SU defense before Salisbury regained control.
 
With 16 minutes remaining in regulation, Davis made a kick save to thwart an SU rally before booting another roller that slipped loose inside the zone. Movin' out along the right side of the arc, Kennedy Johnson also badgered an attacker and forced the stranger into no man's land before ending a lengthy surge.
 
Still rallying, Salisbury earned two straight corners, but the Captains held strong and kept the deficit at two entering a timeout with 13 minutes remaining.
 
Following the stoppage, the Sea Gulls returned to their offensive zone, but Diz stood up against an odd-man rush in the center of the circle to prevent any damage. Shortly thereafter, Christopher Newport brushed aside another SU corner before Muir gobbled up a rally along the right sideline after the Sea Gulls tried to scurry up the field.
 
Fighting until the bitter end, Fiest earned a corner with five minutes left, but her first shot was blocked before her second attempt whistled wide. After that point, Salisbury went to work on the clock. Whittling crucial seconds off the scoreboard, the hosts kept possession until the final minute of the contest.
 
With no time left for a comeback bid, Christopher Newport had its final two corners turned away as Salisbury closed out the championship.
 
Overall, the Sea Gulls held a 17-12 advantage in shots, while both teams earned nine corners. On the back end, Davis finished with seven saves for the Captains.
 
---CNU---