POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- Adding the perfect punctuation mark to a nationally-ranked thriller, Bailey Miller connected on an overtime rocket for her second goal of the game to carry the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team past No. 5 Vassar, 3-2, during a Monday night marathon at Weinberg Turf Field.

Although the Brewers erased a two-goal deficit with a furious fourth-quarter rally, Miller brushed aside the comeback bid with a screaming one-timer in the 62nd minute to cap off the contest. The senior standout also scored in the second quarter and helped anchor a stellar defensive effort, which kept the high-flying Vassar attack in check for most of the night.

With her performance, Miller became just the second Captain to record a multi-goal game against a top-five opponent. Fittingly, the only other player to accomplish that feat was standing just a few yards away when Miller's game-winner hit the back of the cage. Current assistant coach Marlene Lichty also had two tallies, including the overtime clincher, during a 3-2 triumph at No. 5 Mary Washington on October 6, 2012.

In addition to Miller's work, Jackie Kotoriy continued building her reputation as one of the program's finest road warriors. The junior opened the scoring in the 14th minute with her second strike of the season. Coincidentally, her first goal came during the squad's previous overnight road trip at Concordia in Wisconsin last month. In her career, she has now scored in six different states, tying former teammate Rachael Allshouse for the most in school history.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 10-3 on the season. The win also stands as the squad's third of the year over a top-10 foe after the Captains previously defeated No. 9 Rochester and No. 5 Johns Hopkins. That marks the most top-10 wins in a single season in program history.

On the other side, the setback drops Vassar to 10-2. The loss was just the second at home by the Brewers since the start of the 2017 campaign. It also marks only their second regular season non-conference defeat in two years. Incidentally, their only other such loss came at the hands of the 2018 Captains in Newport News.

After Vassar forced overtime with a pair of goals in the fourth quarter, Christopher Newport quickly regrouped in the bonus session. Playing shorthanded after being hit with a card towards the end of regulation, the squad methodically killed some clock early in overtime while working the ball around the field.

Eventually, the visitors pushed forward with Rachel Cooke controlling possession on the far side of the zone. Dismantling her defender, the senior spun back and forth while inching her way towards the cage. With one final twist, she curled around the Brewer and elevated a shot. Although the attempt was knocked down by the keeper, the ball found its way to the foot of a defender and earned Christopher Newport a corner.

Looking to capitalize quickly, Mauri Ware served as the inserter with Miller and Abby Asuncion flanked at the top of the arc. Taking the feed, Miller dipped low to stop the pass, shuffled forward, and unloaded a blistering smash that spun right past the left post and tattooed the back of the cage for the game-winning goal.

The strike capped off a contest that saw Christopher Newport control most of the action. During the overtime battle, the visitors out-shot Vassar, 22-12, and put 19 of their attempts on cage. Meanwhile, the Captains also led the way in corners, 11-7.

Although the action was tilted in Christopher Newport's favor during the game, Vassar controlled the tempo early in the first quarter. Despite the mounting pressure, the Captains stole the show on the defensive side. Izzy Diz blocked an initial attempt inside the circle before Olivia Davis swallowed a blast with her body. Shortly thereafter, the hosts earned a corner, but Cooke deflected the shot before Miller came bolting in from midfield to grab control and jumpstart a jailbreak going the other way.

With their first sustained possession of the game, the Captains earned back-to-back corners, but Courtney Fiest's opening rip bounced wide before Ware's second shot was gobbled up by the Vassar defense.

Trading runs, the Brewers nearly broke through in the 12th minute. After securing a corner, the hosts fired a shot that was deflected by Davis. With a substantial amount of spin on the ball, it continued towards the cage, but Diz worked her magic along the end line and plucked the bouncer off the turf just before it found its way through the zone.

After surviving a scare, Christopher Newport's offense went to work again. With time running out on the first quarter, Sarah Mueller fed a ball up to Ware, who quickly drew a corner in the 14th minute. Taking advantage of the situation, Ware inserted the ball to Cooke, who flipped it over to Nyla Lewis. With a defender in her face, the sophomore served a roller towards the right post. Perfectly positioned behind the keeper, Kotoriy went low and deflected it through the defense for the game's first tally.

Staring at a deficit, Vassar tried to even the score in the final seconds of the period. Marching down the field, the Brewers nearly found an opening, but Davis made an acrobatic play. Facing the pressure, the senior goalie did a split in the center of the circle to stymie the run before Mueller grabbed the ball and shuffled it to Cooke, who cleared the zone and ended the period.

After handling the threat at the end of the first quarter, Christopher Newport picked up the pace in the second. Building a blockade near midfield, Miller intercepted a pair of passes by the Brewers before Fiest ripped one away along the 25. Following the defensive stand, the Captains bolted down the field, looking to do some damage on the offensive end.

Kicking things off, Ware took on four defenders by herself along the end line before drawing the squad's first corner of the period. Although the team came away empty-handed on the opening attempt, Lewis kept the surge alive and knocked the ball off a defender to earn a second try.

Refusing to come up short on another attempt, Ware inserted the ball to Mueller, who was stationed at the top of the zone. Loading up, she blasted a tracer towards the right pipe. Showcasing her instincts and stick skills, Miller was there to deflect the scorcher around a defender and into the cage for her first tally of the game.

Facing a 2-0 deficit, Vassar planted itself on Christopher Newport's half of the field but struggled to find its footing. Miller and Marcella Sabbagh were relentless on the near side of the field as the two deflected pass after pass to disrupt the host's offensive flow. Shortly thereafter, Kotoriy joined the fun and got her stick on another roller before Diz batted away a centering pass that slipped in front of the cage to help close out the first half.

In the third stanza, the Captains almost extended their lead with a great play in the 34th minute. Fiest drove hard towards the cage and drew the attention of the defense. Needing some help, the junior flipped back to Ware, who got the goalie on the turf. Unfortunately, the keeper managed to get her pad on the ball to keep it from finding paydirt. Still attacking, Kennedy Johnson did tremendous work to keep the ball from leaving the zone as the senior sailed a pass into the circle and broke up two clear attempts by the Brewers.

Holding up against the onslaught, Vassar eventually gained control and flipped the field during an odd-man rush in the 40th minute. Putting a lid on the breakaway attempt, Diz stayed glued to the lead attacker, preventing a pass or shot before the rest of the defense caught up. Later, the hosts earned back-to-back corners, but Cooke was there to handle both situations. First, she pressured a shooter and prevented an attempt on the initial assault before deflecting a bouncer on the second try.

After standing tall against the Vassar attack, the Captains controlled the ball over the final part of the third period. Ware took possession and raced up the sideline. Poking at the opposition, Kotoriy and Ware both earned corners in the last few minutes, but the Brewers turned away three rips, including a pair by Fiest.

Still facing a 2-0 deficit, Vassar came out on fire in the fourth quarter. Landing a pair of quick blows, the hosts scored off a corner in the 46th minute before capitalizing off a rogue bouncer in the center of the circle for the equalizer in the 52nd.

Back on even ground, the Captains never let the opposition even sniff a go-ahead strike. After tying the game, Vassar never uncorked another shot as Christopher Newport threw a blanket over the field and controlled possession for the rest of the stanza.

Hoping to answer in regulation, the visitors blitzed the Brewers at the end of the fourth quarter. Falling inches short, Asuncion saved a deflection and tossed it back inside, but Ware just missed catching it with her stick. Shortly thereafter, Sabbagh grabbed an errant clear and fired a long-range missile from the 25, but it also failed to find contact inside the circle.

Meanwhile, from close range, Fiest weaved her way inside the arc to secure a corner in the 57th minute, but Cooke's ensuing shot was deflected over the crossbar. Seconds later, Asuncion also saw a blast miss high, while Ware had a point-blank bullet turned away by the keeper, which wrapped up the final rally and helped force overtime.

Fortunately, Christopher Newport kept the momentum in the extra session as Miller capitalized less than two minutes into overtime to seal the victory.

Davis earned the win after making six saves during her time between the pipes. Meanwhile, Vassar's Julianna Smith came through with 13 stops on the other side of the field.

The Captains will return to action on Saturday when the squad heads to No. 3 Salisbury for another nationally-ranked battle at 6 p.m.

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