NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Abby Asuncion came through with her first collegiate hat-trick, while Kennedy Johnson anchored a tremendous defensive effort and made a little history of her own as the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team raced past Mary Washington, 6-2, during the Capital Athletic Conference opener on a gorgeous Friday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.
 
Headlining the attack, Asuncion continued her standout freshman campaign. The first-year phenom opened the scoring less than five minutes into the game before adding two more strikes in the third stanza to complete her hat-trick. With that performance, she became just the fourth true freshman in program history to score three goals in a game, joining Brittney Touchard, Lauren Cheatham, and All-American Ashley Hay.
                          
Along with Asuncion's efforts on the offensive side, Mauri Ware also contributed two goals and an assist, while Rachel Cooke added a pair of helpers to headline an explosive attack.
 
On the other side of the field, Johnson starred on the back line. The veteran standout made her 50th consecutive start on Friday, becoming just the fifth player in program history to start her first 50 career games with the Captains. With that achievement, she placed her name alongside some of the finest stars in program history, joining former All-Americans Ashley Hay, Jacque Mayer, Brittan Muir, and Ashley Traylor.
 
Making the most of her time on the field, Johnson chipped in with a pair of defensive saves against the Eagles, becoming just the 15th player to post at least two in a single game and only the second to do it in a regular season conference bout.
 
Along with Johnson, Izzy Diz and Marcella Sabbagh also added stops while anchoring the back line. Overall, the four defensive saves equaled the third-highest single-game total in program history.
 
Equally effective on the defensive side, Mary Grace Humes made her first collegiate start between the pipes and came through with eight saves against the high-powered Mary Washington attack. Her eight stops equaled the fourth-most by a Captain in her first collegiate start and the most since Bailey Lien kicked off her All-American career with 10 against Rhodes on September 1, 2013.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 9-3 on the season, including 1-0 in league action. Mary Washington falls to 5-7 overall and 0-1 against conference foes.
 
Kicking off the action immediately, the Captains pressured the Eagles from the very beginning. Nyla Lewis ripped a blast in the early going before Jackie Kotoriy made a great play to keep the ball alive and earn a corner. Moments later, with attackers flooding the zone, Ware laced a shot towards the cage. Shielding the goalie, Asuncion got her stick on the ball and deflected it inside the left pipe for her first strike.
 
Staring at a one-goal deficit, Mary Washington had little luck cracking Christopher Newport's back line. During a 30-second window, the visitors earned two corners and fired three shots, but the defense swallowed every attempt. Eventually, Sarah Mueller grabbed possession along the end line before slowly working the ball out of the circle to end the mid-quarter rally.
 
Trading runs at the end of the period, the Captains uncorked four on-target shots during a lethal assault, but three were saved by the Mary Washington keeper before the fourth was thwarted by a tremendous defensive stop after Cooke unloaded a blast that appeared destined for the left post.
 
Putting an ending to the hectic first quarter, the Eagles charged down the field, but Mueller punched a lengthy feed out of the circle before Johnson secured possession. Although UMW returned with seconds left, Diz regained control before Sabbagh knocked down a final attempt well outside of the arc.
 
In the second quarter, Christopher Newport found its rhythm on the offensive side. In the 19th minute, Ware single-handedly beat five defenders during one of her patented highlight-reel runs along the end line. She burst around one Eagle on the near side before backing her way through a second. With two more defenders and the goalie coming out to meet her along the right post, she kept possession, flipped to her backhand, and cracked one through the cluttered zone for her first strike.
 
Just over a minute later, the Captains came back for more. Hammering away off a penalty corner, Bailey Miller regained possession after an initial shot was stopped. Showcasing quick reactions, she gathered the ball and shuffled a fast pass over to Ware, who drilled a one-timer into the back of the cage for her second straight goal.
 
Now facing a three-goal deficit, the Eagles controlled the latter half of the second quarter with their sights set on solving Christopher Newport's defense. Standing up against the assault, Sabbagh cleared two long passes out of the circle before Diz nearly broke the ankles of an attacker after stealing possession following another threat at the top of the arc.
 
Later, with pressure continuing to mount, Humes put on a show. Hitting the turf, the junior stoned back-to-back attempts in the 26th minute, including a fantastic stop while sprawled out on the ground. Seconds later, following a corner, Sabbagh came back to clean up a shot along the left post to keep the opposition scoreless.
 
Unfortunately, the continued pressure paid off for the visitors as the squad managed to find an opening in the final minute of the first half to cut the deficit down to two at 3-1.
 
Responding early in the third quarter, Christopher Newport quickly regained its three-goal lead. After the visitors failed to clear the zone, Cooke pounced on an errant pass before sending it back into the circle. On the receiving end, Asuncion took control and punched it past a diving keeper to snatch a 4-1 lead.
 
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, the Captains faced another threatening rally by the Eagles. An attacker slipped free on a breakaway, but Humes came out to make a diving save to stifle the rally. Although Mary Washington regained control, Johnson scurried over to the right pipe and knocked down a rebound attempt for her first defensive save of the game.
 
After brushing aside UMW's answer, the hosts tacked on one more goal at the tail end of the third. In the 42nd minute, Sabbagh took the ball on the defensive side of midfield. Firing a screaming blast up the turf, she connected with Asuncion, who grabbed possession on a dead sprint. With a defender on her hip, the freshman threw on the brakes and cut back to her right. Shaking the Eagle, she quickly blistered a dart inside the left pipe to complete her hat-trick.
 
Fostering a 5-1 lead entering the final 15 minutes, Christopher Newport eased into the victory while adding highlights on both sides of the field. First, on the offensive end, the Captains capped off the scoring in the 50th minute. After Johnson deflected a ball over to Cooke, the senior threaded it through a host of defenders to Morgan Arthur. With a one-on-one situation against the goalie, the freshman took advantage of those numbers and slipped a shot underneath the diving keeper for her second goal of the year.
 
Meanwhile, on the other side, Mary Washington managed to cut its lead back down to four, but the defense refused to let them get any closer. Humes made a pair of late saves, while Johnson and Diz added stops as well. First, on a corner, Johnson wiped away a rocket that slipped through the defense while standing on the doorstep. Moments later, Diz closed out the game after winning a one-on-one battle against an attacker along the right post while collecting the squad's fourth and final defensive save.
 
Overall, Mary Washington actually held a slim 25-23 advantage in shots and a 12-7 lead in corners. However, Christopher Newport's defensive stalwarts helped erase the statistical discrepancies on the way to the victory.
 
The Captains will return to action on Monday when the team travels to Poughkeepsie, New York for a 6 p.m. tilt against No. 5 Vassar.


 
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