NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Securing the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship, the Christopher Newport field hockey team capitalized on a fourth-quarter rocket by Maddison Steele and a 60-minute showcase by the defensive unit to topple 20th-ranked Salisbury, 1-0, during an edge-of-your-seat thrill-ride on a spectacular Wednesday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.

Against the Sea Gulls, the defense continued an epic run as the Captains blanked their fourth straight opponent. Overall, the squad has not allowed a goal in 260 consecutive minutes dating back to October 9. That ranks as the fourth-longest shutout streak in program history.

Leading the way, Marcella Sabbagh registered a pair of defensive saves against Salisbury. Her second stop marked the 10th of her career, equaling former legends Jacque Mayer and Sarah Miller for the fourth-most in school history. Meanwhile, Brooke Billhimer also added a stop, while Gabi Gray made five saves to notch her fifth solo shutout of the year. That equals the third-most in program lore, just two behind All-American Bailey Lien's record of seven set in 2013.

Adding another layer to the historic victory, the win was Christopher Newport's 22nd consecutive triumph at home dating back to the start of the 2018 campaign. That stands as the longest run in program history, beating the previous mark of 21 straight wins from November 4, 2011 through November 6, 2013.

Incredibly, that winning streak spans four years, two stadiums, and 16 different opponents. It also encompasses the entire playing career of senior standouts Izzy Diz and Nyla Lewis, who have been present for each of the 22 triumphs.

With the victory, the Captains assured themselves of at least one additional home game in 2021. Along with wrapping up the program's third regular season conference title, the win also guaranteed Christopher Newport the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The squad will host the title bout on November 6.

Overall, Christopher Newport now stands at 10-4 on the season. The setback drops Salisbury to 9-7.

Entering the fourth quarter in a scoreless deadlock, Christopher Newport went right to work in the final stanza. After Sabbagh and Vivian Pope snuffed out Salisbury's first push down the field, Emma Logue cleared the defensive zone with a nice slip to Steele before the attack took control.

Keeping the pressure on Salisbury's back line, Sabbagh sent a knuckler into the circle, which drew an early corner. Seconds later, Lewis earned another attempt after battling through a host of defenders in the 47th minute. Although the Sea Gulls survived the initial surge, the Captains never backed down.

Attempting to clear the zone, a defender sent a pass towards the left sideline, but Mauri Ware snatched the feed and regained control. Pushing the tempo, the senior speedster battled her way around a Sea Gull before threading the ball inside the circle to Steele. Snaring the pass, the freshman quickly pulled to her right, cleared a defender, and unleashed a rocket that tattooed the netting in the cage and gave the hosts a 1-0 lead.
 
Staring at a deficit, the visitors attempted to rally, but Christopher Newport remained vigilant on the back end. On Salisbury's initial response, Diz screened an attacker inside the circle, stole an entry feed, and slammed it out of harm's way. Shortly thereafter, the Sea Gulls marched down the field again, but Pope stood tall at the top of the circle and ripped the ball away before any damage could be done.

Following Salisbury's momentary resurgence, the Captains handed the ball back to the attack. During a five-minute window, the hosts secured three corners and unloaded a pair of shots. Although the squad came away empty-handed during that surge, the offensive stand cut crucial time off the clock and backed the Sea Gulls into a corner.

Needing to break through, Salisbury orchestrated one last stand. In the 57th minute, the team picked up another corner, but Abby Asuncion came through. After an errant insertion, the junior bolted past the SU attack, secured the roller, and knocked it away from the circle. Although the visitors grabbed another corner less than a minute later, Asuncion disrupted the play again before a shot could be taken.

Still possessing the ball, Salisbury tried to break into the circle, but Diz drilled a centering feed out of the zone before Steele made a gorgeous tackle along the right side of the field. Later, Lainey Pratzner badgered a pair of attackers and forced a long hit before stealing possession from a third Sea Gull with suffocating work in the right corner.

With time winding down, Diz cracked another centering feed out of the circle, while Lewis won possession from an attacker on the left side of the field. Later, Lewis barreled her way through three midfielders to run out the final few seconds of regulation.

Overall, the Captains held a 16-12 edge in shots and a 9-6 lead in corners. Along with Christopher Newport's work on the back end, Salisbury's Dom Farrace made six saves between the pipes.

Early in the contest, the Captains immediately showed off their defense. Gray stoned an early dart by the Sea Gulls, while Asuncion blocked a shot off a corner attempt. Katie Abendschoen also intercepted a pass along the 25 to thwart one of Salisbury's final offensive runs in the opening period. Later, Billhimer ran stride-for-stride with a streaking Sea Gull down the right side of the field to close out a quiet first quarter.

In the second stanza, Diz was dynamite. The senior broke up a long run during the early moments of the period before blocking a shot in the 20th minute. Shortly thereafter, Salisbury secured back-to-back corners, but the defense continued to shine. Gray made two saves, including a gorgeous stop that saw her punch a blast out of the air along the left pipe, which helped keep the game scoreless entering halftime.

Although Salisbury held an edge in shots and corners during the first half, Christopher Newport picked up the pressure in the third period. The Captains secured two early corners, but Steele's first shot was stoned by the keeper, while the second attempt was bottled up at the top of the zone. Later, Asuncion had a deep push into the circle, but her ensuing shot was swallowed by a defender.

As the attack began to find its footing, the defense never slowed down. Billhimer picked the pockets of a Sea Gull near the defensive 25 and stoned another rally in the middle of the period. Later, Sabbagh came through with a huge play as the junior gobbled up a shot along the end line, which slipped through off a corner in the 37th minute.

Shortly thereafter, Diz won possession back from an attacker on the left side of the field, Morgan Arthur clamped down on a surge on the opposite side, and Sabbagh rode an attacker right through the circle during a dangerous one-on-one breakaway to help close out the third quarter.

After 45 minutes of defensive wizardry, the Captains finally lit up the scoreboard in the early moments of the fourth as Steele capitalized on Ware's interception to land the only goal of the contest. Following that strike, the defense did the rest as Christopher Newport wrapped up the historic shutout.

The Captains will return home on Saturday at 5 p.m. when the squad punctuates the regular season with a non-conference bout against York (Pa.).

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