ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Earning the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Capital Athletic Conference Tournament, the 13th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team pieced together a defensive masterpiece to punctuate the regular season with a 1-0 victory over St. Mary's (Md.) on Wednesday evening at Jamie L. Roberts Stadium.

In a battle to secure a first-round bye in the conference playoffs, the Captains stood up against a feisty St. Mary's attack, which entered the game ranked first in the conference in shooting percentage and third in scoring average. Keeping a lid on the Seahawks, the defense allowed only seven total shots and brushed aside eight corners to secure the victory.

On an individual level, Olivia Davis made six saves while registering her seventh career shutout. That moved her into a tie with Elexa Nosonchuk for the third-most in school history. Coupled with similar victories over No. 9 Rochester and Washington & Lee earlier in the season, Davis also recorded her third 1-0 shutout of the year, placing her alongside All-American Bailey Lien as the only goalies in program history to have at least three in a single campaign.

Along with Davis, Christopher Newport's entire penalty corner defense was flawless throughout the contest. Rachel Cooke and Courtney Fiest were especially effective as the two veterans combined to deflect four of St. Mary's attempts while applying substantial pressure on two others, including the game-saving stop in the final seconds, which closed out the victory.

On the other side of the field, Abby Asuncion made some history while depositing the game's only goal. The tally marked her 13th of the season, tying her with Annie Gehring for the program's all-time freshman record. It also marked her fourth straight game with a goal and capped off an incredible run through conference play for the first-year sensation. She registered at least one goal in each of the team's five league bouts and finished with a program-record nine strikes in CAC play.

Meanwhile, Asuncion's goal also marked her sixth game-winning tally of the season. That ties Rachael Allshouse's single-seaon school record set in 2017.

With the victory, the Captains improved to 13-4 on the year, including 4-1 in league play. After securing the No. 2 seed, the team will open the CAC Tournament at home in the semifinals next Wednesday with a bout against the survivor of the first-round match-up between St. Mary's and Southern Virginia.

St. Mary's, who already matched the program's single-season record for victories, will enter the conference playoffs as the No. 3 seed while sporting a 12-4 overall record.

Early on in Wednesday's bout, the Seahawks had the first scoring opportunity after securing a corner in the second minute of action. Brushing aside the quick threat, Cooke blocked the initial try before Davis shrugged off a high rocket on the rebound. Launching an immediate counter strike, Christopher Newport's defense reversed field, pushing the ball to the near side as Kennedy Johnson cracked a pass up to Sarah Mueller, who handed it over to the attack.

With possession, the Captains settled in for a sustained offensive stand. Over the next four minutes, the visitors secured four corners while continuing to pressure the SMC defense. Methodically chipping away at the back line, Christopher Newport finally struck in the ninth minute.

On the team's fourth straight corner, the Captains showed off some crisp passing to set up the game's first goal. After Bailey Miller inserted a roller to the top of the arc, Fiest tipped it to Nyla Lewis, who immediately threaded a pinpoint feed to Mueller on the far side of the circle. With the defense trying to catch up, Mueller popped a pass inside to Asuncion, who knocked a bouncer through the Seahawks for her record-tying 13th goal.

Continuing to control the tempo, Christopher Newport picked up two more corners at the tail end of the first quarter, but St. Mary's batted away both attempts. Then, in the final moments, the hosts tried to respond on the other end, but Davis kicked away an on-target blast before Miller gobbled up the rebound and scampered out of the circle to close out the period.

In the second stanza, the Seahawks once again earned a quick corner, but Fiest blocked the ensuing shot before Cooke ushered it out of the zone. After slamming the door on the host's early advances, Christopher Newport continued to control the tempo with a dominant defensive performance all over the field.

On the back end, Miller cut off another run by the hosts and carried the ball out of the circle before Cooke ripped possession away from an attacker along the end line. Meanwhile, near midfield, Emma Logue picked the pocket of a Seahawk and stuck to the hip of another player while forcing an off-target pass that sailed out of bounds. Fiest, Mueller, and Marcella Sabbagh also disrupted clear attempts by St. Mary's with tackles along the offensive 25.

As the pressure continued to mount, Logue eventually knocked a roller into the zone that created havoc along the right post as Lewis crashed down with an opportunity on the doorstep. The play eventually earned Christopher Newport a penalty stroke, but the ensuing blast just trickled wide as the visitors entered halftime fostering a 1-0 lead.

Following the break, the squads kicked off the third quarter exactly as they opened the previous two. With a growing sense of deja vu, St. Mary's secured an early corner, but Cooke disrupted the initial attempt before Fiest whipped it out of the circle. Launching a quick counter, Johnson blasted a scorcher up the turf to Asuncion. One-on-one with a defender, the freshman corkscrewed her way inside the arc before drawing a corner of her own.

Unfortunately, St. Mary's handled Christopher Newport's first threat of the second half before going on a sustained run on the other side of the field.

Trading corners, the Seahawks garnered one in the 36th minute, but Davis came out of the cage to pressure the play, while Izzy Diz cleaned up on the back end. Later, after the Captains were hit with a pair of cards, the squad was equally stingy while playing 10-on-11 for almost six straight minutes.

Forced to play shorthanded, Asuncion stole possession from a midfielder and weaved her way through four defenders during a circus-like run that cut crucial time off the clock. Meanwhile, Lewis bottled up a play near midfield, and Diz cut off a rally along the end line to kill off the first card. Shortly thereafter, following the second penalty, Asuncion once again scurried down the sideline to kill off some time before the back line stood tall. After the Seahawks attempted to fly back up the field, Madison Hodges did great work on the far side as the freshman stole the ball away from one attacker before winning a duel with another player to put a lid on the SMC surge and help close out the third stanza.

In the fourth frame, the two squads settled in for a fast-paced final 15 minutes. After the hosts handled Christopher Newport's opening threat, St. Mary's had a dangerous look in the 50th minute. The Seahawks earned a corner, and after an early jump on the initial attempt, only four Captains were allowed back to face the second try. Unfazed by the diminishing odds, Cooke was there again as the senior stormed out of the cage and chased the ball around the top of the arc before stealing possession before a shot could be taken.

After the corner, St. Mary's continued to advance the ball but struggled to crack the back line. With eight minutes remaining in regulation, Miller lofted an aerial across midfield to give the defense a breather. Shortly thereafter, she also won possession back with a tackle along the 50 to keep the ball on the offensive end.

Looking for the equalizer, the Seahawks eventually handled three straight corners by the Captains in the middle of the period before settling in for one last-ditch effort. With four minutes left, Johnson knocked down a pass into the circle and escorted it out of harm's way. Later, Fiest stole a feed along the 25, snatched the ball off a stick of an attacker, and batted away a short aerial to keep the opposition in-check.

With time winding down, the game came to a fitting conclusion. In the final 30 seconds, the Seahawks earned back-to-back corners, but Christopher Newport was up to the challenge one last time. On the first try, Davis punted the ball away from the cage after it slipped inside. Moments later, on the final attempt, Fiest and Cooke rushed out and applied pressure at the top of the zone before winning back possession and capping off the defensive showcase.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 9-7 edge in shots and a 13-8 lead in corners. Along with Davis' six saves for the Captains, Kelbey Egerland made one stop for St. Mary's, while two other Seahawks added defensive saves.

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