NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Picking the perfect time for her first collegiate goal, freshman Abby Asuncion drove home the game-winner in the 55th minute of a grueling top-20 showdown as the 16th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team knocked off No. 5 Johns Hopkins, 2-1, on a sweltering Sunday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.
 
Along with Asuncion's game-winner, Bailey Miller added the game-tying goal early in the first half off a pass from Marcella Sabbagh. In addition to teaming up on the offensive end, Miller and Sabbagh also combined for three defensive saves while anchoring the back line, which limited the opposition to only eight on-target shots during the contest.
 
Coupled with their 1-0 victory over No. 9 Rochester last week, the Captains now boast a pair of top-10 wins this year. That equals the most in a single season in program history, matching the 2007, 2013, and 2017 squads. The win also marks Christopher Newport's first triumph over a non-conference opponent ranked in the top-five since 2012.
 
Overall, both the Captains and Blue Jays now sit at 3-1 on the season. The setback was the first for Johns Hopkins since the program advanced to the Final Four of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
 
With the game knotted at one late in the fourth quarter, the hosts dug in. Kennedy Johnson won the ball back along the near sideline before pushing it up to Courtney Fiest. Working her way through the midfield while dodging a pair of defenders, she rolled into the offensive zone. Looking for an opening, the Captains methodically moved the ball around before Asuncion grabbed control in the center of the circle.
 
In a perfect position, Asuncion faced the goalie one-on-one with Morgan Arthur sealing off the left post. Looking to grab the lead, Asuncion had an initial attempt turned aside but stayed with the play. Grabbing her own rebound, she punched the ball again and tucked it just inside the left corner of the cage to give the squad a late 2-1 lead.
 
After gaining an edge, Christopher Newport's defensive unit stepped up against the high-powered Hopkins attack. Arthur stayed on the hip of a JHU defender to keep the visitors from clearing with four minutes left on the clock before Johnson stole a roller near midfield.
 
Although the Blue Jays managed to work their way down into the circle, Sabbagh played deep. The first-year star battled through a pair of attackers on the left side of the zone, regained possession, and whistled a rocket up the turf to cut off some crucial time. Later, on Johns Hopkins' return trip, Johnson was there again to steal the ball on the sideline before tiptoeing her way up the field.
 
Keeping the opposition on its heels, Asuncion snuck up behind a defender and stole possession before Jackie Kotoriy burst onto the field and knocked down a high rocket to keep control. Entering the final minute, Courtney Fiest took the ball and danced along the sideline, brushing aside the attempts of two Blue Jays to steal it back.
 
After the visitors forced Christopher Newport to take a corner with seconds remaining, Miller inserted it to Rachel Cooke, who split the wickets of a charging defender, kept possession, and helped run off the final few seconds to lock up the victory.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 21-13 edge in shots and a slim 8-7 lead in corners. Olivia Davis earned the victory after making four saves during her time between the pipes.
 
Before the defense closed out the victory, the game looked like it could become a high-scoring affair. Both teams struck in the first six minutes during a rapid-fire assault. The visitors found an opening first despite a valiant effort by Sabbagh. Four minutes into regulation, a Blue Jay battled her way towards the left post. One-on-one with the attacker, Sabbagh dropped down and held her back for a lengthy period while stonewalling the first two attempts. Unfortunately, the ball eventually just slipped across the line to give Johns Hopkins a 1-0 lead.
 
Unfazed by the early goal, Christopher Newport quickly shot back. Less than 40 seconds later, the Captains marched down the field and earned a pair of corners. On the second attempt, Sabbagh took the insert and cracked a rocket towards the left post. In a nearly identical replay of her goal on Friday, Miller scooted in and deflected the blast into the back of the cage to knot the score at one.
 
Trading rallies, Hopkins ran into a wall on the other side of the field. Towards the end of the first quarter, Davis made a gorgeous kick save. Keeping control, Johnson scurried over and grabbed the rebound before bolting out of the circle. Less than a minute later, Cooke stoned a shot along the left post to keep the game knotted entering the break.
 
In the second quarter, Asuncion nearly broke the deadlock with a gorgeous rally. The first-year star spun around a pair of defenders to open some space near the top of the circle. Seconds later, after Nyla Lewis took possession, she rifled a ball towards the post. Asuncion was able to tip the bullet, but it just scooted wide.
 
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Captains continued to swarm the JHU attack. After the visitors earned a corner, Miller blocked the ensuing shot before Sabbagh cleared the circle after grabbing control in the middle of a dangerous scrum in the center of the zone. Later, Arthur came through with a heads-up play after jumping a passing lane following a restart before bullying her way to midfield.
 
Although Johns Hopkins pushed back into the offensive zone in the final minute, Cooke and Sabbagh blanketed an attacker on the left side of the circle to shut down the last surge of the first half.
 
Following the break, Kotoriy had two early attempts turned aside off a corner before the visitors rallied. Five minutes into the third stanza, Davis hit the turf to cut off an angle along the far side of the zone. Keeping possession, an attacker pushed up to the end line and punched an attempt, but Miller made a diving play to cut off the roller from leaking towards the cage.
 
Two minutes later, the Blue Jays broke free on an odd-man rush, but Cooke flashed her wheels. Cruising up the turf, the senior caught up to the breakaway from behind and closed off the rally before a shot could be taken.
 
Still staring at a deadlock, Christopher Newport nearly broke the tie again. Midway through the third quarter, Emma Logue elevated the ball and chipped it towards the cage. Stationed along the near post, Arthur almost caught the high-riser with her stick, but it just squirted through the zone.
 
Early in the fourth, the Captains had another great shot to grab the lead. Just over a minute into the quarter, Mauri Ware put together a fantastic run. With a wall of defenders in her way, the sophomore speedster dodged three Blue Jays while tight-roping the end line. Eventually, she found herself in pointblank range along the post, but the JHU keeper made the save at the last moment.
 
Continuing the back-and-forth affair, Johns Hopkins worked its way down the field a few minutes later, but Sabbagh punched away a centering pass before it connected with a stick. Fortunately, after that run, Christopher Newport's offense took control. Possessing the ball, the Captains turned up the pressure and eventually broke through on Asuncion's goal in the 55th minute to lock up the win.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on September 13 when the squad kicks off a two-game trip to Mequon, Wisconsin with a 3 p.m. battle at Concordia (Wisc.).
 
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