SALISBURY, Md. -- Nyla Lewis deposited a game-tying goal in the third quarter, and the Christopher Newport defense continued to hold firm against its high-powered opposition, but the 13th-ranked Captains could not quite pull out the victory as No. 3 Salisbury captured the Capital Athletic Conference Field Hockey Championship with a 2-1 triumph in the title bout on Saturday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.
 
After trailing by a goal entering halftime, Christopher Newport quickly evened the score in the third as Lewis capitalized on a feed from Courtney Fiest in the 36th minute. Unfortunately, during the back-and-forth battle, the Sea Gulls landed the final blow with less than five minutes left in regulation to steal the victory.
 
Along with Lewis' work on the offensive end, the Captains did a fantastic job to calm down the Salisbury attack, which entered the contest ranked ninth in the nation in goals-per-game. Olivia Davis came through with six saves during her time between the pipes, and the back line was equally stingy. Izzy Diz was especially effective cleaning up deep runs while making a pair of game-saving plays, including one early in the fourth quarter following a dangerous rally in the 50th minute.
 
For her efforts, Diz was one of three Captains to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Fiest and Rachel Cooke also picked up plaudits for their work during the playoffs.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport now sits at 14-5 on the season. The victory bumps Salisbury to 18-1 and gives the Sea Gulls their second straight league title.
 
After exiting halftime looking at a 1-0 deficit, the Captains quickly countered in the early part of the third stanza. Showcasing her abilities on both sides of the field, Fiest put together an impressive run. First, on the defensive side, she won a duel near midfield before intercepting a pass a few seconds later to thwart a lengthy offensive stand by the Sea Gulls.
 
Following the defensive work, Christopher Newport pushed the ball into the circle. Putting pressure on the back line, Fiest controlled the ball and drew the attention of five defenders. Flanked on all sides, the junior managed to slip a ball through the commotion to Lewis, who was stationed along the left post. With a lane, the sophomore got just enough on the ball to send it spinning across the line for the game-tying strike.
 
Back on even ground, the two squads traded runs over the final portion of the third quarter. First, Salisbury earned a corner in the 40th minute. Staying back on the play, the defense gave a little space before Cooke deflected a pass towards the right post and sent it scooting out of bounds.
 
Moments later, following the defensive stand, Emma Logue tight-roped along the far sideline and scurried up the field while cutting around a Sea Gull to give the defense a break. Shortly thereafter, once SU regained possession, Bailey Miller stole it back and sliced a feed up to Jackie Kotoriy, who escorted it across the 50 again, which helped wrap up the stanza.
 
Kicking off the fourth, Salisbury had early opportunities to break the deadlock, but Christopher Newport stood up against the assault. Less than two minutes into the period, an early threat was ushered through the circle by Davis before it trickled past the pipe. Moments later, the hosts earned a corner, but Cooke blocked the one-timer before any damage could be done.
 
Continuing to hold on, Diz orchestrated a marvelous run. The All-Conference selection gobbled up a bouncer on the interior before flashing her stick skills while working her way past a pair of Sea Gulls. Less than two minutes later, after Salisbury returned to the zone, Davis deflected an initial shot before an attacker slipped behind the goalie. After the Sea Gull gained possession, Diz and Marcella Sabbagh were there to bottle up the play on the back end before the ball snuck across the line.
 
With the hosts still on the attack, SU nearly generated a breakaway during a two-on-one situation with nine minutes remaining. However, Diz was there again as she dropped back and snatched a pass to end the threat.
 
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Captains had a decent look in the 50th minute. Working her way past a pair of midfielders, Fiest launched a seed into the offensive zone. Anchored in the circle, Abby Asuncion secured the ball and rocketed a screamer towards the cage, but a defender managed to block the ball at the last minute.
 
As time ticked down, Salisbury picked up the pressure. Kennedy Johnson disrupted a run after jumping a passing lane before Davis kicked a deflection out of the circle. Continuing the defensive stand with six minutes remaining, Sabbagh punched out a roller before Cooke tackled a cutback attempt and cleared the ball past midfield.
 
Unfortunately, the pressure continued. With less than five minutes remaining, SU earned its 14th corner of the game. Although Davis came out of the cage and handled the initial threat, the hosts regained possession and slipped a pass to the left post where Arielle Johnston was planted for the go-ahead tally.
 
Needing a response, the Captains attempted a last-ditch rally. Trying to sustain possession, Cooke stole a pass, Miller knocked down an aerial, and Sabbagh weaved her way across the 50. Later, Johnson won back control near the 25 and helped push the ball up the field in the final minute, but Salisbury was there to brush aside Christopher Newport's last hope.
 
Overall, Salisbury held a 10-6 advantage in shots and a 14-7 lead in corners. Along with Davis' six saves for the Captains, Dom Farrance made a pair for SU.
 
In a sign of things to come, Salisbury set the tempo in the first quarter while settling in on the offensive side. Fortunately, the Captains held up against a barrage of corners early in the period. Four minutes into the stanza, Sabbagh knocked down a bouncer off SU's first corner before Cooke blocked a shot on the second attempt. Seconds later, Fiest stormed out of the cage on the third try and swiped the ball away from a would-be shooter before sending it down the field to give the defense a momentary breather.
 
Still facing pressure, the visitors stood up against four more corners during the middle of the period. Remaining vigilant, Sabbagh batted away another bouncer on the first corner before deflecting an attempt on another try. Meanwhile, Diz stole a lengthy feed and shuffled it out of the circle to help close out the sustained surge.
 
Sadly, the Sea Gulls flew right back into the zone. In the 10th minute, Salisbury earned two more corners. On the second attempt, after Davis made a huge save on a high-rising blast, the hosts collected the rebound and capitalized in the middle of a cluttered zone to snatch a 1-0 edge.
 
After stealing a lead in the first period, SU looked to extend the advantage early in the second. Once again, the squad earned a corner just 23 seconds into the new period. Trying to capitalize, the Sea Gulls uncorked a shot from the top of the arc, but Davis handled it with ease.
 
Needing to generate some offense, the Captains began to find their footing in the middle of the second quarter. Lewis pushed the ball past the arc in the 18th minute, while Fiest secured possession and bolted in along the end line but had her streak snapped after the SU keeper kicked away a roller.
 
With pressure beginning to mount, Johnson punched a pair of balls inside the zone, including one that was controlled by Sarah Mueller. Fighting forward, she eventually earned Christopher Newport's first corner in the 20th minute.
 
Kicking off an impressive stand, the Captains eventually picked up six consecutive corners during a two-minute window. Unfortunately, the Salisbury defense was up to the challenge. Cooke had a shot blocked by the back line, while Fiest and Mauri Ware had on-target attempts turned away by the goalie, which put a lid on the rally.
 
With time winding down in the first half, Mueller came back on the defensive end and gobbled up an errant pass on an SU corner to cut off Salisbury's last threat. Later, on the other side, Lewis pushed a ball up to Asuncion, who generated a corner for Christopher Newport, but Sabbagh's ensuing rip was turned aside to lock up a 1-0 deficit entering the break.
 
Sadly, although the Captains were able to knot the contest early in the third, the Sea Gulls were able to respond in the fourth to walk away with the title.
 
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