NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Following a 10-day layoff as a result of Hurricane Florence, the seventh-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team showed no signs of rust and found its rhythm early as the squad capitalized on an electric offensive effort to storm past Randolph-Macon, 5-0, on a beautiful Wednesday evening at Captains Turf Field.
 
Leading the way on the offensive end, Rachel Cooke posted two goals and an assist, while Courtney Fiest added a pair of strikes as well. Rounding out the scorers, freshman Sarah Coon added her first collegiate goal in the second half. Meanwhile, Bailey Miller helped facilitate the attack with two assists.
 
In addition to the offensive heroics, the defense limited Randolph-Macon to just five shots, including three on target. Olivia Davis eventually earned her fourth win of the season with a flawless 66 minutes between the pipes, while Mary Grace Humes came in to cap off the shutout.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 4-0 on the season. The setback drops Randolph-Macon to 3-1.
 
Just three minutes into the contest, the Captains lit up the scoreboard. From long range, Rachael Allshouse laced a dart that the RMC keeper kicked away. Corralling the rebound, Ariana Samuel snatched the roller inside the arc and fed it to Cooke, who slipped past one defender before smacking her first goal just inside the right post.
 
Looking to counterpunch, the visitors tried to retaliate on the other side of the field but ran headfirst into the stout CNU defense. Following her offensive efforts, Allshouse intercepted a looping pass and batted it the other way. Moments later, the Yellow Jackets earned three straight corners, but the Captains were up to the challenge.
 
On the first corner, Fiest pressured the shooter and hit the turf to block the ball before a shot could be taken. Later, Brittan Muir cleaned up the second opportunity along the post with her first defensive save of the season before Courtnie Greene mopped up the final shot with a great play on the interior to send the ball bouncing out of the circle.
 
Continuing to face pressure from the RMC attack, Jackie Kotoriy picked off a pass up the near sideline in the 20th minute before Muir won a duel inside the circle to thwart another deep run.
 
Following the defensive stand, the Captains flipped the field and tested the Macon defense. Nyla Lewis put on a show with a dazzling display to spin a defender in circles. Moments later, Fiest battled a Yellow Jacket along the arc and earned a penalty corner with six minutes remaining in the opening half.
 
Capitalizing on those efforts, Kotoriy inserted the ball to Cooke, who pushed forward and drew a defender. Slipping free on the wing, Fiest eventually took a pass and blistered a bullet inside the left pipe to grab a 2-0 edge.
 
Keeping the pressure on in the final minutes of the first half, Muir unloaded a pinpoint feed to Cooke, who tapped it over to Allshouse. With room to work, the senior unleashed a screamer that just missed the far post. Moments later, putting in a hard day's night on both sides of the field, Kennedy Johnson stoned a run near midfield and used a little give-and-go with Allshouse to spring free on a sprint up the turf. Eventually, the junior lined a dart into the circle, but Lily Bryngelson's touch was denied at the last minute by an RMC defender to keep the score at 2-0 entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the offense went right back to work. First, on the defensive side, Davis cleared out a bouncer into the circle before Miller zipped up the field. Doing most of the legwork, the junior cleared a slew of defenders before dishing to Cooke, who beat one more Yellow Jacket before slamming a dagger into the back of the cage for a 3-0 advantage.
 
With the momentum firmly planted on CNU's side, the Captains took advantage and stretched the lead. In the 51st minute, Fiest pushed the ball back to Miller off a restart. From long distance, she threaded a seed through the RMC defense. On the other side, Coon capitalized as the freshman quickly deflected the blast into open spaces for her first career strike.
 
Two minutes later, Christopher Newport added the final punctuation mark. On a corner, Kotoriy inserted the ball directly to Fiest. Flashing some muscle, the sophomore unloaded a one-timer that tattooed the back of the cage for a 5-0 lead.
 
From there, the defense sealed the shutout. Following CNU's final strike, RMC earned a corner, but Cooke and Izzy Diz sealed off the post to end the threat. Later, Muir disrupted another run near midfield before Humes booted a long roller out of the circle in the final minutes to lock up the victory.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 30-5 advantage in shots and a 9-5 edge in corners. Davis and Humes both recorded saves for the Captains, while a pair of Macon keepers combined for 12 stops on the other side.
 
CNU will return to action on Saturday when the squad hits the road for a test at Washington & Lee at 2 p.m.
 
---CNU---