SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- Facing a veteran-laden squad with 10 seniors scattered across the field, the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team kept pace with Susquehanna before a late fourth-quarter goal stymied the Captains and handed the River Hawks a hard-fought 1-0 victory on Saturday morning at the Sassafras Multipurpose Field on the opening day of the Connie Harnum Classic.
 
Battling back-and-forth with the hosts throughout the 60-minute affair, Christopher Newport relied on a strong defensive effort to keep the high-powered River Hawks in check. The visitors eventually held Susquehanna to only five shots and six total corners, but a dagger in the 50th minute was the lone goal of the game as the hosts survived the grueling battle.
 
With the setback, Christopher Newport falls to 1-1 on the season. The victory bumps Susquehanna to 1-0.
 
In the first quarter, the two teams traded rallies in the opening moments of the contest. First, Nyla Lewis sliced a pass up to Abby Asuncion, who drew the attention of two defenders in the circle and earned a corner for the Captains. After the Rivers Hawks withstood the early surge, the hosts secured their own corner on the other side of the field, but Mauri Ware came flying out of the cage and forced an off-balance attempt before Brooke Billhimer cleaned up on the back end.
 
Later in the period, Christopher Newport went back on the attack and secured three straight corners. Keeping the pressure on, Vivian Pope unloaded a backhand bullet that just bounced wide, but Susquehanna continued to clamp down and kept the game scoreless entering the second quarter.
 
With a fresh 15 minutes on the clock, Lewis ripped a ball away from a midfielder and tapped it up to Lainey Pratzner. After dodging a defender, the freshman uncorked a missile that was just punched away at the last moment before Ware's follow-up work on the left side was brushed aside as well. With pressure mounting, the Captains kept poking and garnered three more corners during a sustained blitz. On the second try, Christopher Newport nearly found the back of the cage, but Marcella Sabbagh's long-range screamer was kicked away before Chloe Thompson's rebound attempt was thwarted by a defender.
 
Following Christopher Newport's lengthy surge, Susquehanna shot back. The hosts orchestrated a scary run midway through the period after breaking free on a sprint up the right side of the field. Holding firm, Lewis disrupted the rally before Pope intercepted a centering pass to prevent an on-target rip. Seconds later, Katie Abendschoen raced back and blasted the ball out of the zone to give the defense a breather.
 
Minutes later, the River Hawks stormed back again. This time, an attacker slipped free on a breakaway. Needing to make a play, Gabi Gray came bursting out of the cage. Stepping up during a tense situation, the goalie cut off an angle and hit the turf to force an off-kilter shot to squirt past the right pipe.
 
After halftime, Susquehanna continued to push forward, but Christopher Newport remained vigilant on the defensive side. On an early corner, Ware pressure the initial attempt, Diz knocked the ball down, and Pratzner cracked it out of the circle. Later, Sabbagh had a nice defensive stand during another lengthy push by the River Hawks. The junior bottled up several attempts near midfield before dropping back and eliminating a passing lane on a centering feed that eventually dribbled out of bounds.
 
Later in the third quarter, Susquehanna earned three corners, but the Captains kept the cage clean. Diz helped clamp down on the first try after swiping the ball away on the left side of the zone. Later, Ware continued to shine as the flyer while inducing an off-target shot that whistled past the right post.
 
Entering the final stanza, Christopher Newport had an early shot to open the scoring. Just two minutes into the frame, Maddison Steele secured a pass near the 25-yard-line, marched into the zone, and flipped the ball to Asuncion. With the defense trying to catch up, the junior cut to her right and launched a blast, but the Susquehanna goalie was in the right spot to make the save.
 
Unfortunately, after the defensive stand, the River Hawks were able to light up the scoreboard just minutes later off a corner to steal a 1-0 lead.
 
Looking to put the game out-of-reach, the hosts continued to pressure Christopher Newport's defense. Pushing back, Billhimer made a nice tackle deep in the defensive zone, while Diz blocked a roller on the left side of the field. Later, with time winding down, Susquehanna seemed content to run out the clock in the left corner, but Diz swooped in and stole possession before sending the ball up the sideline.
 
Needing to find an opening, the Captains secured three corners in the final minute of regulation. Unfortunately, all three were turned aside. On the squad's final attempt, Sabbagh laced a rocket into the circle and Ware tried to slip one through on the left side, but Susquehanna's goalie made a diving stop along the post to polish off the shutout.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport held a slim 6-5 edge in shots and a 10-6 lead in corners.
 
The Captains will be back in action tomorrow at 11 a.m. when the squad faces a nationally-ranked showdown with No. 10 Kean on the final day of the Connie Harnum Classic.
 
---ISH---