MEQUON, Wisc. -- In a battle that the National Field Hockey Coaches Association selected as a "National Game to Watch" earlier in the week, Christopher Newport and Centre did not disappoint as the two squads put on an epic thriller and battled until the bitter end before the Colonels escaped with a 2-1 victory following a penalty shootout against the 12th-ranked Captains on Sunday afternoon at Tomasini Stadium.
 
Mauri Ware scored the game-tying goal in regulation to help force overtime, and Olivia Davis stopped two of Centre's attempts during the shootout, but the Colonels held on for the victory after brushing aside three of Christopher Newport's tries during the back-and-forth battle after the second overtime period.
 
The setback dropped the Captains to 4-2 on the season. The victory bumped Centre to a pristine 6-0.
 
After 80 minutes of exciting regulation play were not enough to determine a winner, the squads engaged in an overtime shootout. Kicking things off for the Captains, Rachel Cooke had an initial shot stopped by the Centre keeper but hung with the play, regained possession, and tattooed the back of the cage just before the horn sounded.
 
Although the Colonels managed to slip out to a 2-1 lead in the shootout, Davis and Sarah Mueller evened things in the third round. First, Davis came out to pressure a shooter, cut off the straight-on attempt, and forced the attacker to take a tough angle, which trickled wide. Moments later, Mueller capitalized on the offensive end for the Captains as the sophomore cut to her right, got the goalie to hit the turf, and quickly banged an attempt over the keeper, which evened the shootout at two.
 
Unfortunately, Centre broke the deadlock in the fourth round, and although Davis made another stop in the final session to give the Captains one final chance to even things again, Christopher Newport came up just short as the Colonels walked away with the victory.
 
Overall, Centre held a 12-5 edge in shots during the game and a 10-6 lead in corners. Davis finished the contest with three saves, including the 100th of her career. With that effort, she became the first Captain to reach that milestone since Bailey Lien accomplished the feat during the 2014 campaign.
 
Hours before the game came to a close, the two squads exchanged blows during a seesaw affair. Testing the Captains early, the Colonels went right at Christopher Newport's defense. Handling the pressure, Izzy Diz cut off a run on the near side before blocking a shot moments later. After Centre earned a corner in the fifth minute, Cooke pressured the shooter at the top of the arc and forced an errant feed before anything could materialize.
 
Looking to gain some momentum, Christopher Newport picked up the pressure in the middle of the period. Marcella Sabbagh threaded a pass up the field to Ware, who eventually generated the squad's first corner attempt. Although it was brushed aside by Centre, the Captains had their best chance to score two minutes later.
 
Stealing the ball near the 25, Ware blew past two defenders while cruising towards the circle. After the goalie came out of the cage, the sophomore speedster was forced to take a hard angle on her breakaway attempt. Still cracking a shot, she whistled a blast that just went wide.
 
After surviving Christopher Newport's rally, the Colonels went back to work on the offensive end over the final few minutes of the opening stanza. Cooke made a textbook tackle at the top of the circle during an initial surge before Centre came back with a second wave. Standing tall, Diz made a stop at the top and Bailey Miller dropped back to punch away a roller along the left post, but the pressure eventually generated a corner.
 
Capitalizing on the opportunity, the Colonels broke through to snatch a 1-0 advantage entering the second period.
 
With the lead, Centre attempted to control the pace. As the tempo slowed down, the early part of the second quarter was contested in the middle of the field. Later, the Colonels stepped on the gas and put some pressure on Christopher Newport's defensive unit once again, but the Captains held firm. Cooke won a race to a ball that dangerously bounced through the center of the circle. Moments later, Diz clamped down on a run along the end line to prevent an attempt near the right post.
 
Needing to generate some pressure of their own, the Captains methodically moved the ball down the field. With a little over two minutes left in the first half, Emma Logue dished back to Abby Asuncion, who unloaded an attempt that just bounced wide. Keeping the ball on the offensive end, Nyla Lewis took control and fed up to Ware, who pieced together a remarkable run.
 
Taking control along the end line with a host of defenders on her back, the sophomore refused to be bullied. Creating some space, she dodged one defender with a cut to her left while tiptoeing the line. Seconds later, she spun back to her right to clear two more Colonels in front of the cage. Never losing possession during her acrobatic maneuvering, she quickly capitalized on a clear shooting lane between the goalie and a fourth defender for the game-tying strike.
 
After halftime, Centre came out re-energized early in the third quarter. Facing a relentless assault, Davis made a huge stop on an elevated rocket with her pad following a quick corner. Moments later, the senior goalie hit the turf to seal off another try before Miller and Sabbagh blocked the follow-up attempts. Still battling, the Colonels secured another corner, but Miller stuck to the hip of an attacker and rode her around the circle before dismissing a shot.
 
Looking to retaliate, Ware showcased her speed once again. In the middle of the period, she burned up the right sideline while cruising past three defenders. After cutting towards the circle, she centered a pass to Asuncion, but the following shot sailed over the crossbar.
 
Continuing the back-and-forth slugfest, Centre closed out the third with an offensive surge of its own. Miller ended the first run while flashing her stick skills. After gaining possession, the senior chipped the ball around three attackers on the far side of the field to clear the zone. Later, following a last-minute corner attempt by the Colonels, Cooke blanketed an attacker on a twisting run through the circle before Lewis poked the ball away before a shot could be taken.
 
Entering the final 15 minutes of regulation, the Captains controlled possession early in the fourth quarter. Cooke and Kennedy Johnson built a barrier near midfield to keep the ball on the offensive side. Later, Mueller joined the fun and disrupted three straight clearing attempts by the Colonels on the far side of the field.
 
Looking to capitalize on the sustained pressure, Asuncion fired a shot with less than seven minutes remaining, but the ball was blocked by a defender. Hoping to capitalize on the deflection, Ware just missed getting her stick on the ricochet along the right post.
 
Still hoping to break the deadlock, Johnson jumped a pair of passing lanes and shrugged off a bruising hit from a defender to earn a corner. Later, with time running down, Centre earned its own corner, but Johnson played tight defense along the left post and cleaned up the attempt after Davis hit the turf.
 
After 60 minutes of 11-on-11 action, the two squads engaged in a 7-on-7 track meet in overtime. First, the Captains killed off a card that left them a player down early in the stanza. Then, in the 63rd minute, Lewis raced back and knocked down a pass at the last second that nearly sprung a breakaway attempt by the Colonels.
 
Trading corners at the end of the first overtime period, Ware drew a pair for the Captains, but both attempts were handled by Centre. Meanwhile, the Colonels also earned two over the final four minutes, but Christopher Newport was equally up to the challenge. On the last corner, with 50 seconds remaining, Johnson pressured an attacker and Miller knocked down a high riser into the circle before Ware grabbed possession and twisted her way down the field to run off the final few ticks.
 
After another card left the Captains down a player at the start of the second overtime period, Asuncion showcased her footwork and tight-roped down the sideline with a defender on her back, helping Christopher Newport cut off time before returning to full strength.
 
Back on even ground, Centre proved to be the aggressor. Davis had to kick aside a bouncer that slipped through the defense with a single attacker stationed in the circle. Sabbagh also made a tackle along the far side of the arc before Cooke stepped up. The senior pressured the stopper on a corner attempt, which helped force a wayward pass. Seconds later, she caught up to a 2-on-1 run by the Colonels and just got her stick on a centering attempt before the opposition could take a shot.
 
Still on their heels, the Captains continued to brush aside dangerous rallies. With four minutes left, Johnson charged into the circle and ripped the ball off the stick of an attacker during an odd-man rush. Shortly thereafter, she blocked a pass that nearly sprung another breakaway before a centering feed just missed connecting with a Centre attacker after Davis dove onto the turf to eliminate a shooting lane.
 
With time winding down, Jackie Kotoriy secured possession, raced up the field, and pushed the ball into the circle. As pressure mounted, Ware corralled a ball in the middle of a scrum to earn a corner with 43 seconds left. After the Colonels handled the first attempt, Cooke secured a second try, but again, nothing materialized as time ran out on the final overtime session.
 
Unfortunately, those last-second opportunities in overtime were the best shot the Captains would have as Centre regrouped in the shootout and escaped with the victory.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad welcomes Washington & Lee to Jennings Family Stadium for a non-conference showdown at 1 p.m.
 
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