NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Celebrating Senior Day in style, Madison McGowan erupted for five points, including a pair of goals, as she helped carry the 13th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team past Southern Virginia, 8-0, during a Capital Athletic Conference showdown on a warm Wednesday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.

During the game, McGowan led the squad's senior standouts after registering a goal and an assist in the first stanza before finding the back of the cage again in the second quarter. Meanwhile, fellow senior Rachel Cooke also contributed an assist during the game, while Kennedy Johnson and Bailey Miller helped anchor the team's dominant defense, which held Southern Virginia without a single shot. Rounding out the fourth-year contributors, Olivia Davis earned her 23rd career victory while helping Christopher Newport polish off its fourth shutout of the season.

Along with the veteran contributors, Abby Asuncion also scored twice for the Captains, and Nyla Lewis chipped in with two assists. Overall, Christopher Newport pounded 77 shots during the contest, which established a new single-game school record. The eight-goal win also equaled the team's largest margin of victory since defeating Ferrum, 10-0, on September 6, 2015.

With the victory, the Captains improve to 11-4 on the season, including 2-1 against conference foes. Southern Virginia, in its first year of collegiate field hockey, now sits at 0-14 overall and 0-3 in league action.

From the very beginning, Christopher Newport flashed its scoring prowess. Striking just two minutes into regulation, Mauri Ware intercepted a clear attempt and slipped a pass to Courtney Fiest, who was anchored deep in the circle. With two defenders on her hip, the junior tipped the ball to Asuncion, who connected on the doorstep for the game's first tally.

Although the offense was the story throughout the first half, the defense also did its job to keep a lid on the Southern Virginia attack. Shortly after the Captains opened the scoring, the Knights attempted to move the ball down the field. In the ninth minute, an attacker slipped free for a minute, but Miller raced back to break up the play. Shortly thereafter, when the visitors worked the ball towards the circle, Cooke snatched it from the stick of a potential shooter before an attempt could be taken.

While the defense was brushing aside Southern Virginia's advances, the offense continued to test the SVU back line. In the 11th minute, the Knights tried to clear the circle, but Asuncion flashed her stick skills and snatched the ball out of the air. After pouncing on it, the freshman flipped it over to Lewis, who pounded it inside to McGowan. Kicking off her evening, the senior settled down the bouncer before cracking a backhand bullet that tucked inside the right post for the squad's second goal.

Continuing to flash her offensive chops, McGowan returned a few minutes later to assist on the third goal. Capping off the opening period, she secured a pass from Sarah Mueller in the center of the circle. Without a clear shooting lane, she tossed the ball over to Ware, who punched a dagger along the left pipe to steal a 3-0 lead.

With a fresh 15 minutes on the clock, Christopher Newport put the game away with a huge second quarter. Just seconds into the new period, Cooke controlled the ball on the near side of the field. From long range, she unleashed a rocket towards the cage. On the other end, Asuncion threw her stick out and deflected it perfectly along the right post for her second tally of the game.

Staying on the attack throughout the second quarter, the Captains quickly tossed three more goals on the board. In the 19th minute, Cooke threaded a pass that split the wickets of a defender. Taking possession, Emma Logue flipped the roller over to McGowan, who deflected it over the top of the defense for her second strike. Less than a minute later, following a corner, Lewis blasted a burner towards the cage. Although the defense momentarily halted the play, Fiest collected the ball and spun one from the far side for a 6-0 lead.

Capping off the scoring in the first half, Christopher Newport came back with one final dart in the 25th minute. Showcasing her well-rounded skill set, Sarah Coon made a tackle along the sideline to regain possession before cutting around a defender on the left side of the zone. After gaining some wiggle room, the sophomore cracked one into the center of the circle. On the receiving end, Logue settled down the screamer before floating a rainbow over the defense and into the back of the cage.

Entering the break with a 7-0 lead, the Captains went to work on the defensive side in the second half. Standing tall in the early going, Madison Hodges picked off a pair of SVU passes near midfield to thwart two quick rallies. Moments later, after the Knights worked the ball across the 50, McGowan quickly jumped a passing lane to steal back possession before any damage could be done.

Following the early work by the defense, Christopher Newport's attack tossed one more goal on the board. In the 36th minute, Alora Sharron loaded up and whistled a one-timer towards the goal. Although her blast just caught the right post, Ariana Samuel was there to clean up. After slipping behind the keeper, the junior collected the rebound and quickly deposited it for the squad's eighth and final goal.

With little left to prove, the defense settled in and went to work on the clock. At the end of the third quarter, Hodges made another nice play to catch up to a breakaway attempt, while Angelica Florendo cut off another rally with a tackle in the final minute. Then, in the fourth stanza, Southern Virginia worked the ball down towards the circle again, but Samuel won a race for a roller along the sideline, Natalie Corson swallowed another run along the far end, and Hodges ripped a ball away from an attacker on the near side.

With time winding down on regulation, Davis put the finishing touches on the contest. After checking back into the game, the senior was able to show off her leg in the final minute. As the defense controlled the ball, Johnson flipped possession back to the goalie. With some room, Davis popped the ball up on her pad before drop-kicking it away from the circle to help run off the last few ticks.

Overall, the Captains held a 77-0 advantage in shots and an 11-0 lead in corners. Despite the large statistical discrepancies, Southern Virginia's Kyla Nase put on a show between the pipes for the visitors. The freshman made 45 saves against the high-powered Christopher Newport attack. That total established a new conference record, marked the most in the country this year, and equaled the ninth-highest single-game total in NCAA history.

The Captains will return to action on Saturday when the team travels to York (Pa.) for a noon battle.

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