NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Continuing an epic hot streak during the past week, Sarah Mueller erupted for her first collegiate hat-trick while carrying the 12th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team past Virginia Wesleyan, 5-1, during a non-conference bout on a beautiful Tuesday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.

Blistering the opposition with a first-half outburst, Mueller converted a penalty stroke in the 11th minute to open the scoring before capitalizing on a pair of corners in the second stanza. With that performance, she became the 17th player in program history to record at least three goals in a single game. Overall, it marked the 26th total hat-trick by a Captain and the first since Madison Doss had one against Oberlin on September 8, 2017.

Making her performance even more historic, Mueller became just the fifth player to register a hat-trick during her first year with the program. Fittingly, the first player to accomplish that feat was Wendy Wilson against Sweet Briar on October 15, 2000. Wilson, a member of the Christopher Newport Athletics Hall of Fame, served as Mueller's head coach during her high school career at Tabb.

With her hat-trick, Mueller now has at least one goal in each of her last three appearances. Coupled with a four-point outburst in her previous game against Rhodes on Saturday, she is the first Captain with 10 points in back-to-back games since Carol Thompson hammered five goals in two outings early in the 2015 campaign.

Along with Mueller's offensive showcase, Mauri Ware registered a goal and an assist, while Morgan Arthur came through with her first career strike to cap off the scoring in the first half.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 8-2 on the season, including 5-0 at home. The setback drops Virginia Wesleyan to 3-6 overall.

Although the offense stole the show on Tuesday, the defense smothered the Marlins throughout the contest. Setting the tone early, the Captains rarely let the visitors slip past the center line. Eliminating half of the field, Marcella Sabbagh pounced on a pair of early trips by Virginia Wesleyan, while Kennedy Johnson shut the door on another rally by VWU to keep the ball on the offensive end.

As the defense kept a lid on the opposition, the offense found its rhythm. The Captains roped eight shots early in the first quarter, but the Marlins held up against the assault, including four quick saves by their keeper. With the pressure mounting, Mueller cracked a dart off the foot of a defender and earned a penalty stroke for her work in the 11th minute.

Capitalizing on the opportunity, she buried a one-timer into the left corner of the cage for her first goal of the game.

Still on the attack, Christopher Newport stretched its lead less than two minutes later. Abby Asuncion tossed a roller up to Ware, who had a pair of defenders draped on her back. Unfazed by the opposition, the sophomore spun to her left and split the Marlins with a dagger inside the pipe for her team-leading seventh goal of the season.

In the second quarter, Virginia Wesleyan tried to mount a response but struggled to find any traction. Still battling on the defensive side, Rachel Cooke slowed up a surge along the sideline before Courtney Fiest showed off her stick skills. Anchored along the circle, the junior faced three Marlins, who were looking to push closer to the cage. Refusing to give an inch, the reigning All-American stole possession and danced her way through a horde of attackers to clear the threat.

After brushing aside the Virginia Wesleyan attack, the Captains added the perfect punctuation mark to the first half with a lethal offensive stand at the end of the second quarter. Kicking things off, the hosts earned a corner in the 25th minute. Inserting the ball, Bailey Miller sent a perfect feed to Mueller, who absolutely crushed a worm-burner through the charging defense for her second goal of the game.

Just over 90 seconds later, Emma Logue kept poking at the VWU defense. The freshman launched back-to-back shots, including one that tattooed a defender and earned the Captains another corner. Once again, Miller inserted the ball. This time, Sabbagh handled the deep roller and punched it back inside the circle. Corralling the hopper, Mueller regained control and whistled another laser into the cage to complete her hat-trick in the 27th minute.

Holding a 4-0 lead, Christopher Newport added one final nail with less than 30 seconds left on the clock. Putting on a passing clinic, Asuncion fed the ball to Fiest, who quickly drew the attention of the goalie. After the keeper came out of the cage, Ware slipped in behind her. Finding her teammate, Fiest dished to Ware, who centered a roller to Arthur. Capping off the action, the freshman deflected it across the line for her first career tally.

With a five-goal lead entering halftime, the Captains had more than enough cushion to close out their fourth straight victory. Although Virginia Wesleyan managed to convert a goal off a corner play in the third quarter, Christopher Newport never lost its footing. On the defensive side, Johnson made a tremendous play with eight minutes left in the third quarter to prevent a jailbreak. After the hosts were unable to connect on an offensive corner, the Marlins secured possession and flooded the field. Standing up against a wall of opponents, Johnson managed to deflect the ball near midfield, which gave the rest of the defense enough time to catch up to the play.

Later in the period, after a VWU attacker wiggled free, Miller found herself in a one-on-one situation. Winning the battle, the senior made a tackle inside the circle to stunt the run. Shortly thereafter, Johnson and Alora Sharron broke up runs on the near side of the field before Cooke cleared the ball on the far side, which helped close out the third period.

Early in the fourth, the Captains nearly stretched their lead as the squad unloaded four on-target attempts, including a straight-on dart by Madison McGowan and a backhand whip by Logue along the left post. Unfortunately, Virginia Wesleyan handled the early surge before testing Christopher Newport's defense in the middle of the period.

Playing deep during an odd-man rush, Izzy Diz tipped away a roller with nine minutes left on the clock. Later, Madison Hodges did impressive work from sideline to sideline. The freshman won a duel on the near side to steal back possession following a lengthy offensive run by the Marlins. Minutes later, she grabbed control again on the far sideline to end a separate threat and give possession back to the offense.

With little left to prove, the hosts eventually ran out the clock as Rachel Pabon blasted three late shots, while Arthur added another one to close out the action.

During the contest, Christopher Newport held a 36-1 advantage in shots and a 10-1 edge in corners.

The Captains will return to action on Sunday when the team faces Lynchburg at Liberty University. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.



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