LEXINGTON, Va. -- The seventh-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team saw its four-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday afternoon as the Captains dropped a 3-2 decision to Washington & Lee in a non-conference showdown at the W&L Turf Field.
 
Ariana Samuel and Jackie Kotoriy both connected on first-half goals for the Captains, but Washington & Lee had an answer each time. The hosts eventually broke a 2-2 deadlock with a second-half strike to pull away for the victory.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 4-1 on the season, while Washington & Lee improves to 2-5.
 
In the early going, Washington & Lee proved to be the aggressor. Although the CNU defense held up during an initial onslaught, including a nice tackle by Brittan Muir to break up a one-on-one deep inside the circle, the Generals kept pressuring. Eventually, in the 10th minute, the hosts converted off of a penalty corner to snatch a fast 1-0 lead.
 
Trailing for the first time all season, the Captains attempted to respond, but W&L continued to control the momentum. Facing a relentless attack, Courtney Fiest deflected a Washington & Lee shot, Kotoriy picked off a roller at midfield, and Courtnie Greene disrupted a breakaway up the center of the field. Later, Nyla Lewis forced a turnover along the far side, and Muir dropped an attacker to her knees to help flip the field.
 
Looking to get things moving on the offensive side, Fiest jump-started the attack in the 31st minute after smashing a long-range missile into the circle. Catching the defense off-guard, Bailey Miller got her stick on the ball and tipped it over to Samuel, who punched home the equalizer along the left post to knot the game at one.
 
With the score deadlocked, the floodgates opened. Washington & Lee immediately retaliated off another corner in the 34th minute to regain the lead before the Captains landed a counterpunch at the end of the first half.
 
With seconds remaining in the period, Christopher Newport earned back-to-back corners on a pair of nice plays by Rachael Allshouse. On the second attempt, Kotoriy inserted the ball to Greene, who settled at the top of the circle. Showing patience, the senior allowed the defense to pursue before splitting a pair of defenders with a pinpoint pass back to Kotoriy, who knocked it home along the post to even the score at two.
 
Following halftime, the Captains attempted to break the deadlock with a solid offensive stand. Allshouse whistled a shot that just ran past the pipe, while Lily Bryngelson had an attempt turned away along the post. Moments later, Rachel Cooke twirled through a pair of defenders to keep the stand alive, and Kennedy Johnson split the wickets of a W&L attacker after saving a roller from slipping out of bounds to keep possession.
 
Unfortunately, the Generals withstood the surge and quickly flipped the script. In the 48th minute, Lauren Paolano completed a hat-trick for the hosts to grab a 3-2 lead.
 
After a timeout, the Captains tried to retaliate. Fiest bullied her way into the circle to earn a corner with 22 minutes left, but Greene's ensuing floater was batted down by the goalie. Later, Fiest laced another long shot into the circle, but the deflection scooted wide. Allshouse also punched a reverse chip towards the cage and Bryngelson had another chance along the post, but the hosts brushed aside every attempt to even the score.
 
Still fighting, Allshouse earned another corner in the 57th minute, but Fiest's dagger was stoned by the W&L goalie.
 
After withstanding CNU's offensive surge, the Generals tried to stretch the lead and end any thought of a comeback bid. Keeping the faith alive, Johnson plucked a roller from a midfielder, Izzy Diz tipped away the ball along the far sideline, and Olivia Davis made back-to-back stops, including a kick save on a dart off a corner attempt.
 
With time running out, the Captains earned one last corner in the 63rd minute after Sarah Coon collected a high hopper in the circle. Unfortunately, Greene's shot was blocked and Fiest had an attempt turned away by the goalie to end CNU's final offensive threat.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 16-10 advantage in shots and an 8-4 lead in corners, but the Generals managed to find just enough daylight to pull away for the win.
 
Christopher Newport will look to bounce back next Saturday when the squad hosts Concordia (Wisc.) at 11 a.m.
 
---CNU---