LEXINGTON, Va. -- Abby Asuncion joined elite company after piecing together a four-goal showcase, but the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team could not quite capitalize on the historic effort as Washington & Lee survived a second-half rally to steal a 5-4 victory on Saturday afternoon at the W&L Turf Field.
 
Against the Generals, Asuncion was an unstoppable force on the offensive side of the field. She scored the game's opening strike in the second minute of action before adding three more daggers after halftime, including an equalizer in the third quarter. Her four goals tied the third-highest single-game total in program history and the most since Lindsay Hendricks had five against Gwynedd-Mercy in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on November 7, 2012.
 
Overall, she joined Hendricks, Wendy Wilson, Carol Thompson, and Megan McCreedy as the only Captains with at least four goals in a single game.
 
Asuncion's starring performance on Saturday also marked her second career hat-trick after she previously scored three times in a win over Mary Washington as a freshman on October 11, 2019. Coupled with that effort, she joined Wilson, McCreedy, Ashley Traylor, Kelsey Clark, and Lauren Cheatham as the only Captains in school history with a pair of hat-tricks.
 
Adding another layer to her historic showcase, Asuncion's final goal marked her 20th career strike. Incredibly, she reached that plateau in just her 23rd career game. Only Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Wendy Wilson eclipsed that mark faster after she landed her 20th goal in her 18th collegiate appearance.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 1-3 on the season, while the victory bumps Washington & Lee to 3-0.
 
Facing a defense that shut out its first two opponents, Christopher Newport quickly cracked the unit with a strike in the second minute of action. After Katie Abendschoen picked off a roller on the defensive side of midfield, she slipped a feed to Asuncion, who jump-started a fast-paced attack.
 
After Asuncion flipped possession to Mauri Ware, the senior bolted right past a defender on the left side of the field. Pushing towards the cage, she drew the goalie out of position before sliding the ball back to Asuncion, who settled into the center of the circle. In a flash, the junior fired a dart into open spaces for the game's first strike.
 
Staring at a deficit, the Generals sent a wave of pressure at Christopher Newport's defense. Holding up against the surge, Gabi Gray stoned a pair of on-target blasts, including a bullet off a corner. Vivian Pope also put together an excellent run at the edge of the circle with two solid tackles, including a lunging stop that thwarted a dangerous threat.
 
Unfortunately, midway through the opening period, Washington & Lee was finally able to slip free on a breakaway to knot the game at one.
 
Trading runs over the final few minutes of the first quarter, both teams had a solid chance to break the deadlock. First, Marcella Sabbagh stoned a rally near midfield before storming up the sideline on a counterstrike. Slicing the ball towards the circle, she found Lainey Pratzner, who battled a pair of Generals before drawing a corner. Sadly, Pope's ensuing rocket was blocked by the W&L defense.
 
Meanwhile, on the other end, Washington & Lee picked up its own corner in the waning moments. Standing tall, Nyla Lewis eventually collected a deflection inside the circle before sending it spiraling out of the zone to put a punctuation mark on the first period.
 
In the second quarter, the Generals continued to pressure the Captains. Holding firm along the left side of the field, Brooke Billhimer dropped low for a textbook tackle near the sideline. Moments later, with two attackers leaking free on a possible breakaway, the freshman stoned a pass near the 25 to flip possession.
 
Unfortunately, similar to the first quarter, Washington & Lee was undeterred and eventually slipped past Christopher Newport for a go-ahead goal in the 19th minute.
 
Facing their first deficit of the game, the Captains tried to rally on the offensive end. During the latter portion of the second quarter, the visitors secured four corners, including three straight attempts with less than five minutes left on the clock. Searching for an opening, Sabbagh unloaded a pair of screamers, but both of her rips were brushed aside as the hosts kept their one-goal lead entering halftime.
 
Following the break, Christopher Newport fired back. Chloe Thompson picked the pocket of an attacker and sent a lengthy roller up the sideline. Flashing her game-changing speed, Ware caught up to the ball just before it slipped across the end line after beating a W&L defender who had a 10-yard head start. Gaining possession, she pushed inside, and as more Captains flooded the zone, Ware earned a corner in the 33rd minute.
 
On the ensuing play, Pope settled the insertion and showed great patience while letting the defense approach her at the top of the circle before sliding a pass to Sabbagh, who uncorked a blast from the inside. Although the initial shot was turned away, Asuncion gathered the rebound and threaded an attempt between two defenders and the goalie to even the score again.
 
Deadlocked at 2-2, Washington & Lee retaliated with back-to-back goals in the middle of the third quarter to snatch a 4-2 edge.
 
With time ticking down in the period, the Captains needed a spark. In the final minute, Izzy Diz intercepted a pass near midfield and kicked off a late rally. After Lewis gained possession, she flipped a no-look pass towards the left corner where Pratzner took control. As a defender pushed out of the circle, the freshman slid a pass inside to Asuncion.
 
With two Generals blanketing her, the junior simply spun to her right, created a little space, and fired a long-range rocket from the edge of the zone to complete her second collegiate hat-trick.
 
Still nurturing a slim lead entering the final stanza, Washington & Lee struck again early in the fourth quarter to regain a two-goal edge at 5-3.
 
Less than 40 seconds after the Generals stretched their lead, Asuncion responded. After collecting a feed from Lewis, she circled around a defender and whistled a one-timer from the top of the arc in the 49th minute to cut the deficit back down to one.
 
Trying to find the equalizer, Lewis slammed a pass towards the cage that was broken up by a defender. Later, Pope kept the pressure on with a tackle near the 25, while Lewis ripped possession away from a midfielder who attempted to clear the zone along the left sideline. Shortly thereafter, Thompson saved a ball along the right side before Ware bullied her way into the circle and squared off against the entire W&L defense before garnering a corner in the 55th minute.
 
With pressure mounting, Sabbagh fired a shot off a pass from Ware, but the scorcher just missed the left pipe. Moments later, on one final rush, Asuncion unleashed a turnaround rope that screamed past the right post as Washington & Lee survived the late push to punctuate the win.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held an 18-17 advantage in shots and an 8-6 lead in corners. Meanwhile, Gray finished the contest with four saves.
 
The Captains will return to action on Sunday when the squad travels to Roanoke for an 11:00 a.m. test in Salem.
 
---ISH---