LYNCHBURG, Va. -- In the span of two minutes in the third quarter, the Christopher Newport field hockey team landed a pair of goals and flipped a scoreless deadlock into a comfortable advantage as the Captains toppled No. 17 Lynchburg, 2-1, during a non-conference showdown on Sunday afternoon at Shellenberger Field.
 
Following a quiet first half on the offensive side, Abby Asuncion opened the scoring with a rocket in the 41st minute before Alexis Morales added a bullet of her own less than 90 seconds later. With a two-goal edge, the defense did the rest as the Captains limited the Hornets to just two shots over the final 30 minutes on the way to the victory.
 
Lily Kerr earned the win after making a pair of saves during her time between the pipes. Christopher Newport also brushed aside all four of Lynchburg's corner attempts while continuing an outstanding defensive stretch for the squad, which started with back-to-back shutouts last week.
 
Sunday's victory marked Christopher Newport's first triumph at Lynchburg since 2013 and only the fourth win on the road against the Hornets in program history. It also was the first victory on the road against a top-20 foe since the Captains knocked off No. 5 Vassar in Poughkeepsie, New York on October 14, 2019.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport improves to 7-3 on the season, while the setback drops Lynchburg to 8-2.
 
In the opening period, Christopher Newport flashed its defense as the Captains put a lid on the high-powered Hornet attack. Less than a minute into the game, the hosts secured a corner, but Morales applied immediate pressure and prevented a quick shot before Kerr brushed aside an attempt along the right pipe.
 
With the Hornets still attacking, Katie Abendschoen slammed the door on Lynchburg's second surge with an interception along the edge of the arc before stunting another rally near midfield. Shortly thereafter, Maddison Steele stole possession along the left sideline during a push in the middle of the period, while Brooke Billhimer grabbed a roller deep on the left side of the zone.
 
Entering the final minutes of the first quarter, Vivian Pope showed some fancy stick work after snatching a failed aerial before swiping a roller off the turf. Later, in the waning moments, Kerr kicked away a blast along the left post, and Morales blocked a last-ditch shot just before the horn sounded.
 
With a fresh 15 minutes on the clock, Christopher Newport picked up the pressure on the offensive end at the start of the second period. Early on, Asuncion chipped a floater over the defense, but Lynchburg's keeper made an outstretched save to knock down the rainbow at the last second. A few minutes later, the senior All-American unleashed a backhand through traffic, but the laser just caught the left pipe and dribbled out-of-bounds.
 
After Lynchburg attempted to flip possession, Marcella Sabbagh picked off a pass along the arc and spun her way across midfield while dodging three Hornets to hand the ball back to the attack.
 
Still looking to break through, Steele sliced a centering feed through the circle, but it just hopped over a pair of sticks and squirted out the other side. Then, Asuncion added one final push after circling across the top of the zone, but the Lynchburg keeper deflected a shot on the interior to keep the game scoreless entering halftime.
 
Following the break, Christopher Newport kept up the pressure. Early on, Delaney Norr found herself on a breakaway, but the goalie came out of the cage and made a fantastic save to prevent a quick strike before a follow-up attempt by Morales trickled wide.
 
Shortly after, the Captains came back again. With possession inside the 25, Asuncion took care of business. Pushing her way towards the arc, she poked the ball around an initial defender, circled back through two more, and rifled a screamer from long range to put the visitors on the board.
 
Holding a 1-0 lead, Christopher Newport quickly stretched its advantage. On the squad's next rally, the Captains secured a corner in the 43rd minute. Taking the insert from Emma Logue, Sabbagh muscled a pair of on-target rips. Although both attempts were kicked away by the keeper, the second deflection shot out to Morales, who was stationed on the right side of the zone.
 
After securing the roller, the senior buried a one-timer inside the right pipe for a 2-0 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
 
Staring at a two-goal deficit, Lynchburg responded in the 48th minute to cut Christopher Newport's lead in half. Unfazed by the sudden resurgence, the Captains clamped down on the defensive side.
 
On a dangerous rally midway through the fourth quarter, Chloe Thompson stayed deep and disrupted the initial push before Billhimer swallowed a crosser along the right pipe to stamp out a secondary surge. Minutes later, Abendschoen knocked down a bouncer at the top of the arc, Morales won a footrace for an errant pass on the right side of the zone, and Asuncion swiped possession from an attacker during a lengthy duel before slicing the ball up the field to clear the threat.
 
Later, in the 56th minute, Lynchburg had its best shot at landing an equalizer. Generating a 3-on-2 breakaway, the Hornets had numbers on their side. Kerr came out of the cage to pressure the ball on the left side of the zone. With the freshman goalie delaying the action, Billhimer caught up to the play and evened the advantage.
 
Continuing to search for a shot, the hosts swung the ball around Kerr. Fortunately, Thompson walled off an attacker on the right side before Morales hit the deck and bottled up the play in the center of the zone. Still battling, Billhimer won a duel with a third Hornet to steal control and clean up the rally.
 
After surviving the late scare, Christopher Newport closed out the action in the final minute. Sabbagh broke up a pass along the defensive 25 with less than 40 seconds left in regulation before Thompson ran off the final few ticks in the right corner to secure the victory.
 
Overall, the Captains held a 17-6 advantage in shots and a 5-4 lead in corners.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on October 8 when the team opens a four-game homestand with a noon test against Centre.
 
---ISH---