SALEM, Va. -- Capitalizing on a relentless attack that applied consistent pressure throughout the contest, the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team took advantage of a well-balanced offensive showcase while scoring three goals in the second quarter to secure a 4-1 victory during a non-conference battle against Roanoke on Sunday at Donald J. Kerr Stadium.
 
Peppering the Maroons with an endless assault, four different Captains found the back of the cage. Katie Abendschoen opened the scoring off a corner in the 18th minute before Logan Beal and Mauri Ware capped off the first half with back-to-back rockets late in the second quarter. Later, Lainey Pratzner added the game's final strike to polish off the win.
 
Meanwhile, on the other end of the field, Christopher Newport faced just six shots, including two during a dominant first half. Between the pipes, Gabi Gray made three saves while picking up her second victory of the season.
 
With the win, the Captains improve to 2-3 overall, while the setback drops Roanoke to 0-2.
 
From the start, Christopher Newport served as the aggressor. In the first eight minutes, the visitors pumped seven shots, including five on goal. Keeping the pressure on, the Captains built a blockade near midfield. After back-to-back corners, the Maroons attempted to clear the zone, but Vivian Pope had an interception near the 25 before Marcella Sabbagh won back a pair of rollers along the right sideline. Later, Izzy Diz snatched an interception to continue the early rally.
 
Although Roanoke was eventually able to clear the zone in the ninth minute, Gray cleaned up on the back end. Following a corner by the Maroons, the junior goalkeeper swallowed the shot and punted it out of the circle to brush aside RC's first test.
 
Moments later, after the hosts withstood Christopher Newport's third corner of the period, Roanoke orchestrated a dangerous rally. Breaking free on a sprint down the field, an attacker slipped past the Captains. Refusing to give up on the play, Brooke Billhimer put her speed on display as the freshman tracked down the Maroon and bottled up the surge before reinforcements arrived on the scene.
 
With Roanoke still poking at the Captains, Sabbagh swatted a lob out of the air before Diz clamped down on a missile off a corner to prevent any damage.
 
Entering the second quarter in a scoreless deadlock, Christopher Newport quickly went to work on the offensive end. In the 18th minute, Pope slammed a dart towards the cage that helped draw a corner. On the ensuing play, Nyla Lewis settled the insertion before bumping the ball to Ware on the left side of the zone.
 
With the defense pursuing the roller, Ware quickly slipped a feed across the circle to Sabbagh, who had settled in the center. After corralling the feed, she dropped down and sliced a low liner towards the cage. Screening the goalie, Abendschoen deflected the shot around the keeper to snatch a 1-0 lead.
 
Staring at a deficit, the Maroons attempted to respond, but Diz was a disruptive force on the defensive side. First, the senior faced a one-on-one battle with a sprinter along the sideline, but she quickly stole possession to end the rally. Moments later, with a three-on-three surge developing for the hosts, Diz charged over and ripped the ball away again before Pope sent it spinning the other way.
 
Following the defensive stand, the offense went back to work. In the 26th minute, Beal was a one-person wrecking crew. After taking control near the 50, she dodged three different defenders during a whirlwind run towards the cage. Finding herself on the doorstep, she fired an initial shot that was turned away but quickly regained possession and slammed the rebound into the back of the cage for her first career goal.
 
Moments later, Pratzner poked a pass to Ware, who took over nearly 40 yards from the cage. Surrounded by six Maroons, she found some freedom after bursting to her right. Charging towards the circle with the defense struggling to catch up, the senior speedster whistled a scorcher into the top corner of the goal to lock down a 3-0 lead entering halftime.
 
Following the break, the Captains continued to attack. Maddison Steele unloaded three straight shots, but the first two were turned away by the goalie before the third was knocked down by a defender. Later, Ainsley Miller and Morgan Arthur had on-target rips batted back before the Maroons finally cleared the zone.
 
Looking to respond, the hosts picked up three corners during a 30-second blitz. Although Diz disrupted the first attempt and Billhimer bottled up a rebound on the second try, the third corner proved fruitful for the Maroons as RC capitalized on a ricochet after Gray hit the deck to make a sprawling stop while deflecting an initial shot.
 
After Roanoke cracked the scoreboard and pulled within two, Christopher Newport went right back to work. In the final minute of the third quarter, Sabbagh unleashed a laser off a corner that just sailed past the left post. Later, in the waning seconds of the period, Abby Asuncion had a long-range rocket snuffed out by the keeper before Emma Logue saw a floater just miss the mark.
 
Entering the final 15 minutes, Roanoke tried to inch closer, but Pratzner closed the door during a sustained showcase on the defensive end. First, she punctuated a lengthy RC rally by clearing the ball out of the circle. Shortly thereafter, she knocked down a liner off a restart along the left sideline before forcing a turnover off an errant pass after winning a showdown with a pair of midfielders.
 
Following the defensive stand, the offense struck again. Lewis won back possession near the 50 and sent a roller up the field to Asuncion, who quickly drew the attention of the defense. With the Maroons cutting off her angle inside the circle, she flipped the ball out to Steele. After beating a defender, the first-year star laced a bullet towards the left pipe.
 
In a perfect position near the post, Pratzner deflected the rope into the back of the cage for her first career tally in the 53rd minute.
 
With time winding down, the Captains kept the Maroons from crawling back into the game. Sabbagh broke up a pair of rallies near the sideline before Diz swiped a roller away on a surge up the center of the field. Later, in the final moments of regulation, Abendschoen played the ball off a defender to pick up a corner in the 57th minute before a breakaway by Miller drew another one to cap off a well-balanced offensive showcase by Christopher Newport.
 
Overall, the Captains held a 30-6 edge in shots and a 9-5 lead in corners.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on Wednesday when the squad hosts Catholic in a 6 p.m. tilt at Jennings Family Stadium.
 
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