SALISBURY, Md. -- Facing its second marathon battle against a nationally-ranked opponent in six days, the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team came up just short as the Captains dropped a thrilling 2-1 double-overtime decision to No. 3 Salisbury during a Capital Athletic Conference match-up on Saturday evening at Sea Gull Stadium.
 
After surviving an epic showdown at No. 5 Vassar on Monday, Christopher Newport could not quite recapture its overtime magic against the Sea Gulls. Following a back-and-forth battle, Salisbury escaped with the win after capitalizing on a penalty corner in the 77th minute.
 
Long before the final goal, Abby Asuncion opened the scoring with her eighth tally of the season. That moved her into a tie with current teammate Jackie Kotoriy for the second-most goals by a freshman in program history. Meanwhile, Courtney Fiest registered her 20th career assist while adding her name to an exclusive list. The junior joined former legends Belle Tunstall and Haylie Black as the only Captains with 20 career goals and assists.
 
Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Olivia Davis pieced together a stellar performance in the cage. Standing tall against a high-powered Salisbury attack, the senior established a new career-high with 14 saves. That total also marked the most by a Christopher Newport goalie since All-American Bailey Lien had 18 stops during the 2014 CAC Championship at Salisbury.
 
Saturday's game continued a grueling season for the Captains as the third-ranked Sea Gulls were the squad's fourth top-five foe of the year. That stands as the most in a single season in program history. In fact, the 2019 Captains have now faced more top-five opponents this season than the previous four years combined.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport now stands at 10-4 on the year and 1-1 in league action. Salisbury is 13-1 with a 2-0 record against conference foes.
 
Hours before the Sea Gulls connected on the final shot, Christopher Newport opened the action with an early flurry. Just seconds into the game, Mauri Ware pushed the ball towards the circle and drew a foul. On the restart, Sarah Mueller fed the ball inside to Fiest, who chipped it past two defenders. In a race for possession with the Salisbury keeper, Asuncion snared it on the move. With the goalie out of the cage, the freshman turned and sliced a dart inside the right pipe for the game's opening strike.
 
The goal landed 28 seconds into regulation, marking the second-fastest tally in program history. Incidentally, the quickest goal, which was scored 21 seconds into regulation, was deposited by current assistant coach Allie Kerr during another battle on the Delmarva Peninsula against Wesley on October 14, 2012.
 
Continuing the offensive stand, the Captains earned back-to-back corners in the eighth minute after Ware spun around a defender in the center of the circle and Nyla Lewis banged a ball off a Sea Gull. Unfortunately, the visitors came away empty-handed on both attempts before Salisbury orchestrated a sustained surge on the other side of the field.
 
Standing up to the assault, Kennedy Johnson batted away a pass on the near sideline, while Izzy Diz stole a roller that slipped into the circle. Later, Johnson connected with Ware on an aerial to clear the zone for a brief moment before the Sea Gulls came battling back.
 
On a rapid-fire run, the hosts nearly connected on a quick centering pass, but Davis snuffed out the pointblank bullet. Moments later, the senior goalie knocked down a high-rising rocket with her pad before making a diving kick to boot the ball away from a streaking attacker, which helped close out the first quarter.
 
In the second stanza, the Captains survived an early rally by the Sea Gulls before Ware bolted down the field and secured the first of three straight corners. Unfortunately, Salisbury contained the assault, including back-to-back missiles by Fiest and Mueller.
 
Keeping a lid on the Salisbury attack, Christopher Newport controlled possession for the next few minutes. Johnson stole a pass at midfield, Mueller made a tackle along the near sideline, and Asuncion intercepted a short aerial. Taking advantage, Fiest eventually drew a corner on a bouncer into the circle, but Rachel Cooke's elevated attempt was knocked down before Asuncion's rebound was kicked aside.
 
Unfortunately, following the offensive stand, Salisbury fought back. Despite the visitors controlling the clock throughout the second quarter, the Sea Gulls earned a corner in the 25th minute and capitalized on just their second shot of the period to draw even at one.
 
On the board, the hosts attempted to strike again at the tail end of the first half, but Christopher Newport's defense held on. Diz made a great interception inside the arc before squeezing her way through two attackers to clear the threat. Moments later, after the Captains were hit with a card, the Sea Gulls fired a seed into the circle, but Johnson closed distance and disrupted the play.
 
With time winding down, Salisbury earned a corner, but Fiest made a tremendous heads-up run to jump the passing lane and swipe control before a shot could be taken, which helped close out the second quarter.
 
After gaining some momentum at the end of the first half, Salisbury opened up the third stanza on the attack. Still handling the pressure, Cooke stole possession on a deep run, and Davis kicked a bouncer out of harm's way following a long hit. Although the hosts eventually collected a corner, Davis came out of the cage and knocked down a bouncer to end the threat.
 
Keeping the pressure on, the Sea Gulls controlled the third quarter. During the period, Salisbury held Christopher Newport without a shot or corner, while two Captains were hit with cards. Despite the mounting pressure, the visitors kept a blanket over the SU attack.
 
During the third, Davis swallowed a dart off a corner in the 37th minute before Fiest cleared the circle for a moment. Later, a Sea Gull attempted a spin move to shake Ware, but the feisty sophomore read it perfectly and ripped the ball away along the near sideline. Meanwhile, Marcella Sabbagh made a key tackle inside the circle to stymie a late threat, and Fiest snatched another pass near midfield to help kill off the quarter.
 
Keeping the momentum early in the fourth, the hosts picked up two straight corners, but Cooke handled the pressure. The senior stuck to an attacker and forced an errant pass on the first attempt. Seconds later, after playing off a shooter, she allowed an aerial that sailed well over the crossbar.
 
Needing to find its rhythm on the offensive side, Christopher Newport slowly worked the ball down the field. Sabbagh opened up the squad's response with a floater into the circle. Keeping possession, Lewis fired a threatening ball towards the cage, but the Salisbury keeper escorted it out of bounds.
 
Still battling, the Captains earned three corners in the middle of the period, but Fiest's rip was punched away by the goalie, and Cooke's elevated attempt flew past the post. Shortly thereafter, Asuncion attempted a reverse chip, but it was gobbled up by the goalie in the 54th minute.
 
After Diz helped stamp out Salisbury's return trip, including a victorious joust with a Sea Gull inside the arc, Christopher Newport had one final attempt to end the contest in regulation. Off a corner in the 58th minute, Bailey Miller unleashed a screamer that just scooted past the left post.
 
Following 60 minutes of end-to-end action, Salisbury got the jump on the Captains early in the first overtime. The visitors slipped out on a three-on-two rush, but Diz blanketed an attacker to prevent a breakaway. Although the hosts earned a corner after the surge, Davis swatted away a rocket before Cooke sent it scooting out of the zone.
 
Still facing an unrelenting onslaught, Miller tracked down a centering pass inside the arc before stealing a long hit between a pair of attackers.
 
In the final seconds of the period, Fiest took possession and tested the Salisbury defense for the first time during the overtime session. With just two ticks left on the clock, the junior rolled around the defense towards the end line before unleashing a missile that was punted by the keeper.
 
In the second overtime, Salisbury continued to be the aggressor. The hosts earned three corners in the first two minutes. Unfazed, Davis made saves after all three attempts, while Cooke continued to possess the rebounds to prevent any follow-up shots. Following the final try, Asuncion gave the defense a breather and worked the ball up the sideline to Fiest. Sprinting towards the cage, the junior drew the goalie out a few steps, but the keeper handled a dart from inside the arc.
 
Although Christopher Newport controlled the ball for a few minutes after that attempt, the Salisbury defense prevented any on-target shots before returning the ball to its offense.
 
Kicking off the final action, the Sea Gulls burst free on a three-on-one breakaway. Refusing to back down, Diz did a sensational job to disrupt the lead attacker's momentum before forcing an off-balanced shot that was kicked away by Davis.
 
Unfortunately, after keeping the ball on the offensive end, Salisbury earned back-to-back corners in the 77th minute. Although Davis handled a pointblank blast on the initial attempt, the Sea Gulls converted on the second try after a deflection bounced perfectly to Camryn Dennis, who capped off the festivities.
 
Overall, Salisbury held a 20-12 advantage in shots and a 15-10 lead in corners. Along with Davis' 14 saves for the Captains, Dom Farrance made six stops on the other side.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the squad caps off its regular season home schedule with a 5 p.m. tilt against Southern Virginia.
 
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