While Christopher Newport looks forward to the return of intercollegiate competitions, our friends at TowneBank are partnering with CNUsports.com to spend some time throughout the fall semester looking back at a few of the more memorable moments in the storied history of the athletic department. Over the course of the next three months, the Captains will honor the anniversary of three dozen record-setting accomplishments, championship-clinching victories, and other historic events in order to celebrate the past while preparing for even more great moments in the future.

AT A GLANCE
Polishing off the second regular season league championship in program history, the 5th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team completed a remarkable run through the Capital Athletic Conference with a 4-2 victory over York (Pa.) at Captains Turf Field on October 21, 2017. Picking up its third win over a nationally-ranked opponent, the squad used a ferocious second-half rally to storm past the 16th-ranked Spartans. The triumph extended the team's 11-game winning streak, which continued in the postseason as the Captains went on to win the program's first tournament title two weeks later.
 
BACKSTORY
For over a month, Christopher Newport was arguably one of the hottest teams in the country. From September 16 through October 19, the Captains dismantled their opposition. Coupling a quick-strike attack with a devastatingly effective defensive unit, the team ripped off 10 straight victories while outscoring the opposition, 34-5. During that run, they held a lead for over 518 minutes of game action. They trailed exactly once. For three minutes and 23 seconds.
 
Simply put, the Captains were rolling.
 
Entering the showdown with York, Christopher Newport boasted a 14-1 overall record and ranked first in the nation in goals-against-average with a 0.53 mark. The squad also stood second in save percentage (.862), fourth in winning percentage (.933), and eighth in scoring margin (3.00). By almost any statistical measure, the Captains were a beast.
 
Marching towards the end of the regular season, the squad sat one win shy of the CAC championship after compiling a pristine 5-0 mark in league action. Standing in the way of a coronation, York (Pa.) was looking for its own championship-clinching victory.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Sitting at 3-1 in the conference, the Spartans were also vying for the regular season league championship and had the firepower to challenge Christopher Newport's stingy defensive unit. Entering the showdown, York boasted the nation's eighth-ranked scoring offense, which was averaging 4.14 goals per game. In fact, the team featured three of the league's top-five scorers in Autumn Mallory, Greta Plappert, and Dana Meehling.
 
Slotted 16th in the National Coaches Poll, York had long been a thorn in Christopher Newport's side. After the Captains joined the CAC in 2013, the Spartans were the first program to hand them a league loss after pulling an upset in 2014. Two years later, YCP picked up another triumph with a 2-0 victory in Pennsylvania. And now, in their latest match-up, the Spartans had an opportunity to stain the storybook ending to Christopher Newport's regular season masterpiece.
 
GAME RECAP
Landing the first blow, York (Pa.) lit up the scoreboard less than six minutes into regulation. Trailing for the first time in five games, Christopher Newport brushed off the early stumble. First, on the defensive side, All-American Courtnie Greene swatted a rising rocket out of the air with a textbook defensive save before freshman sensation Courtney Fiest grabbed possession with an interception in the 22nd minute.
 
Landing the equalizer, All-American Rachael Allshouse shuffled a shot towards the post before Madison Doss deflected it into the cage to knot the game at one.
 
Still tied early in the second half, Christopher Newport's defense put on a clinic. On an early penalty corner, Alexa Weaver stormed out of the cage to pressure the shot before Kennedy Johnson swallowed up the initial attempt. Later, after the Spartans returned to the zone, Brittan Muir bottled up a run along the end line, stole possession, and flipped the field.
 
Looking to capitalize on the defensive stand, the attack broke through on the other side. First, Greene displayed some magic, dodging nearly half of the Spartans' defensive unit on a singular run that left two defenders splayed out on the turf. Eventually, she uncorked a missile inside the circle to give the squad a 2-1 edge in the 43rd minute.
 
Six minutes later, freshman Ariana Samuel provided some instant offense as well. In the span of 25 seconds, she stepped onto the field, swiped the ball from an attacker, sustained possession through a one-on-one battle, slipped a pass up the field, and slammed home a return feed along the left post for the squad's third goal of the contest.
 
With a little breathing room, the veterans led the way over the final 20 minutes. Celebrating Senior Day, Mackenzie Neylon thwarted a run near the top of the arc, Stephanie McKinney came racing out of the cage to stone a dangerous threat down the center of the field, and Weaver polished off the team's scoring with a penalty stroke in the 57th minute to help seal the victory and clinch the regular season title.
 
POSTSCRIPT
While the victory over York locked up the program's second regular season championship, the totality of the accomplishment was unprecedented. Although the Capital Athletic Conference had long established itself as one of the deepest field hockey leagues in the nation, the collection of teams in 2017 was unmatched. In fact, with the win over the 16th-ranked Spartans, the Captains became the first team in CAC history to defeat three nationally-ranked opponents on the way to the league title after previously upending 3rd-ranked Salisbury and 19th-ranked Mary Washington.
 
With a regular season title in its clutches, Christopher Newport continued to motor through the conference during the postseason tournament. The Captains beat Mary Washington, 1-0, in the semifinals before an epic 2-1 double-overtime triumph against No. 6 Salisbury in the championship. That victory locked up the program's first-ever postseason crown.
 
After wrapping up the CAC championship, the Captains went on to an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 and finished the year ranked fourth in the National Coaches Poll. The squad also wrapped up the season with a program-record 0.67 goals-against-average, which led the NCAA.
 
Along with the team accomplishments, the 2017 Captains also hauled in a host of awards. Allshouse and Greene both earned All-American accolades for their efforts during the year. In subsequent seasons, Muir, Fiest, and Rachel Cooke all earned national plaudits as well. With five eventual All-Americans, the 2017 roster remains the second most decorated unit in program history.
 
Meanwhile, Fiest, McKinney, and Weaver joined Allshouse and Greene on the All-Region squad, while Muir and Neylon nabbed All-League nods in 2017 as well. For her efforts at the helm of the program, Carrie Moura was also celebrated as the CAC Coach of the Year.
 
For a full listing of the fall 2020 features published to date, click here.
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