NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Despite a furious second-half rally that saw the Captains dominate on both ends of the field, the 18th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team could not quite overcome its early deficit as the squad dropped a 3-2 decision to Bryn Mawr on a simmering Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

Trailing 3-0 at halftime, the Captains chipped away at their deficit with tallies by Marcella Sabbagh and Abby Asuncion. With her dart in the fourth quarter, Asuncion became just the ninth player in program history to reach 30 career goals and the first to eclipse that plateau since former All-American Rachael Allshouse joined the club in 2018.

Meanwhile, the defense surrendered just three shots over the final 30 minutes as the squad locked down the visitors in the hopes of pulling out a come-from-behind victory. On the back end, Brooke Billhimer put a lid on several lengthy drives by the Owls, while Lily Kerr made a fantastic sliding stop to stone a breakaway in the 40th minute.

With the setback, Christopher Newport stands at 4-2 on the season, while Bryn Mawr improves to 5-1.

In the early going, the two teams traded rallies at the start of the opening quarter. After the Captains had a pair of attempts scoot wide, the Owls broke free on a dangerous rally in the sixth minute, but Billhimer raced back and stole possession from an attacker before a shot could be taken.

Unfortunately, Bryn Mawr came back down the field and broke through in the 11th minute after capitalizing on a two-on-one breakaway. Then, in the second quarter, the visitors stretched their advantage after converting a pair of corners to snatch a commanding 3-0 lead.

With their backs firmly planted against the wall, the Captains tried to mount a response in the waning moments of the first half. Christopher Newport secured two corners, but Billhimer and Chloe Thompson both had attempts blocked by the defense. Later, Alexis Morales unloaded three on-target rips in just over 60 seconds of action, but Bryn Mawr's keeper was up to the task and kept the hosts scoreless entering halftime.

Keeping the momentum early in the third period, Christopher Newport shelled the opposition with a relentless assault. In the first four minutes, the Captains earned two corners and blistered five shots. Although the Owls managed to hold up against the initial attack, the hosts secured another corner in the 35th minute.

After a perfect insert by Emma Logue, Sabbagh hammered a rocket towards the cage. Serving as the screener in the middle of the zone, Katie Abendschoen disrupted the defense just enough to allow Sabbagh's knuckler to slip past the keeper. Although a defender was stationed along the end line, the ball caught her foot and handed the Captains a penalty stroke.

Taking the free shot, Sabbagh stepped up and whistled a laser inside the right pipe for her third goal of the year.

Looking to regain their three-goal advantage, the Owls shot back but struggled to find an opening. During their initial response, the visitors ran into Sabbagh at midfield. Standing tall, the senior picked off a roller and weaved through three players before flipping possession for a brief moment. Shortly thereafter, Brie Mallozzi made a textbook tackle to steal a ball along the circle before Kerr made the defensive play of the game.

In the 40th minute, a 30-yard feed slipped past Christopher Newport's last line of defense and generated a breakaway. Two Owls found themselves streaking up the field all alone. With no one left to help, Kerr came bolting out of the cage and met the two attackers in the middle of the circle with a sliding save. In one motion, she kicked away the roller and chopped down the lead attacker. Eventually, Abendschoen caught up to the play and secured the ball before punching it out of harm's way.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Owls pieced together two more lengthy rallies, but Billhimer blocked a shot on an initial run before picking the pockets of another streaker along the left sideline to put a lid on the second threat.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Christopher Newport picked up the pace on the offensive end. In the 52nd minute, the hosts secured a corner after Morales generated pressure along the right side of the zone. Following the insert by Logue, Morales handed possession over to Morgan Arthur, who redirected the ball towards the cage.

On the inside, Asuncion was flanked by three defenders and the goalie. With little room to work, the senior All-American had her back towards the goal while securing the feed in front of the keeper. After pulling the ball to her left, she unleashed a reverse chip that sent a spinner sailing past all three defenders before crashing down in the cage for the squad's second tally.

Still searching for the equalizer, Christopher Newport kept the pressure on over the final eight minutes of regulation. Morales smashed a centering feed through the circle that just missed connecting with a stick. Later, Delaney Norr had a turnaround attempt stoned by the keeper, while Logue also had an on-target rip kicked away on the inside.

Entering the final few minutes, Bryn Mawr attempted to run out the clock, but the Captains continued to regain possession. Billhimer flashed her wheels and snatched control of a long ball before intercepting another feed along the circle. Meanwhile, Abendschoen picked off a pair of passes along the defensive 25.

Looking to break through, Morales and Asuncion both orchestrated 50-yard runs that saw them circle through the majority of the Bryn Mawr defense before coming up short on the doorstep. Later, in the final seconds, Sabbagh grabbed the ball at midfield and punched it up to Morales. In a race against the clock, she scooted her way into the circle and smacked a bouncer towards the left pipe, but it just skipped past a pair of attackers and landed out-of-bounds as the final horn sounded.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 34-7 advantage in shots and a 14-3 edge in corners. Meanwhile, Kerr and Gabi Gray both collected saves during their time between the pipes.

The Captains will return to action on Sunday when the team hosts No. 14 Washington & Lee at 1 p.m.

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