NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Erupting for eight goals in the first 35 minutes, the 10th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team cruised to an 8-0 victory over Concordia (Wisc.) during a non-conference battle on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Captains Turf Field.
 
Showcasing the program's depth on the offensive side of the ball, 10 different Captains registered at least one point in the game. Celebrating her birthday in style, Kirsten Zeigler posted three points, including her first collegiate goal. Meanwhile, two Captains added a pair of strikes. Bailey Miller came through with her second career multi-goal effort, while Kennedy Johnson moved up and settled into the west wing with a pair of bullets along the left pipe.
 
Helping facilitate the attack, Jackie Kotoriy matched her career-high with three assists, which also equaled the fourth-highest single-game total in program history. With that performance, she now stands as the first Captain ever to record at least three assists on two separate occasions. She previously accomplished the feat earlier this season against Virginia Wesleyan on September 19.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 5-1 on the year. The setback drops Concordia to 4-3.
 
From the outset, the Captains wasted little time lighting up the scoreboard. Seven minutes into regulation, Courtney Fiest prevented a clear with a solid tackle before pushing the ball up to Johnson. Banking some easy money, the junior deposited a stinger inside the pipe to give the hosts a fast lead.
 
Just two minutes later, Johnson came back for more. After Kotoriy took possession along the right post, she slipped a perfect feed across the mouth of the goal towards Johnson. Flashing a quick trigger, she swatted the pass into the back of the cage for her second goal of the game.
 
Keeping the pressure on, Fiest laced a dagger from outside the circle to get the Concordia defense on its heels in the 12th minute. Although the Falcons knocked away the initial attempt, Madison McGowan collected the rebound and punched it back inside. With the defense pursuing, Kotoriy tipped the roller over to Miller, who slipped free along the right post for her first strike of the season.
 
Still hammering away, Courtnie Greene took control near midfield and pushed the pace. Motoring up the field, she eventually flipped the ball out to Rachael Allshouse, who fired a rocket towards the cage. With quick instincts, Ariana Samuel tossed her stick out and deflected the dart through the defense for a 4-0 edge.
 
Following a Concordia timeout, the Captains tossed their fifth goal on the board midway through the opening period. Taking possession on the far side of the field, McGowan fed a bouncer over to Fiest. With a defender on her hip, the sophomore controlled the roller, burst through the circle, and smashed a shot into the cage for her team-leading eighth goal of the year.
 
With the offense doing its job, the defense was equally impressive. In the 19th minute, Brittan Muir broke up a run after a Falcon slipped free for a moment near midfield. Shortly thereafter, Izzy Diz picked the pocket of another Concordia midfielder and sent a feed to Nyla Lewis, who earned a corner after handcuffing a defender with a dart.
 
Capitalizing on the defensive efforts, Lewis took possession of the insert off the corner. From behind the circle, the freshman fed across to Miller, who sliced a one-timer into the right side of the cage for a 6-0 advantage.
 
After that point, the defense faced some mounting pressure but withstood Concordia's response. Following her work on the offensive side, Miller got back on defense and knocked down a roller that wiggled free on the interior. Later, Olivia Davis made five straight saves, including a tremendous kick stop on a tracer following a Concordia corner.
 
Still blanketing the field, Muir cleaned up another run into the circle and poked the ball away during a one-on-one battle up the near sideline. Kotoriy also made a great tackle to prevent a shot on a second corner attempt by the visitors.
 
Following the defensive stand, Zeigler celebrated her birthday with an outstanding run at the end of the first half. In the 33rd minute, she showed solid stick skills to control a high hopper that bounced through a cluttered zone. After settling the ball down, she slipped it through a defender to Sarah Coon, who capitalized in traffic for the squad's seventh goal.
 
Two minutes later, after CNU earned a corner, Zeigler capped off her day. Kotoriy inserted the feed to the freshman, who took possession near the top of the circle. Tapping the ball around a defender, Zeigler eventually laced a rocket inside the left pipe to close out the first half.

Overall, the squad's eight first-half goals equaled the most in a single half since the Captains struck nine times in the opening stanza against Shenandoah on September 16, 2006.
 
With the offense wrapping up its day in the first half, the defense took over in the second stanza. Early on, Concordia lofted a floater into the circle, but Lewis knocked it down before Johnson sent it spinning out of the zone. Minutes later, after the visitors earned a corner, Angelica Florendo got in the face of a shooter and stopped an attempt at the top of the arc.
 
Later in the half, Diz ripped the ball off the stick of a Falcon near midfield. Helping the defense catch its breath, Natalie Corson showed incredible hustle to save a pass from sneaking out-of-bounds while keeping control on the offensive side.
 
Still fostering an 8-0 lead, the defense eventually settled in and capped off the shutout. Christina Slick stayed deep and broke up a lengthy run with eight minutes remaining, while Fiest cleaned up a play along the post after Concordia earned a corner. Later, she also intercepted a pair of cross attempts, while Florendo badgered two attackers to earn possession and help run out the final few seconds.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 28-7 advantage in shots and a 12-6 lead in penalty corners. Davis eventually finished the contest with five saves to earn her fifth win of the year, while Mary Grace Humes made a stop during a spotless second half.
 
CNU will return to action tomorrow when the squad travels to Mary Washington for a key Capital Athletic Conference contest at 4:30 p.m.

Highlights:

 
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