WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Behind an early goal by Delaney Norr and a 60-minute defensive masterpiece, the Christopher Newport field hockey team pieced together a 1-0 victory over Catholic on Wednesday evening at Cardinal Stadium.

Against Catholic, Norr registered her fourth goal of the season in the 10th minute of action. Following the first-quarter dagger, the defense took care of the rest as Christopher Newport smothered the opposition with relentless pressure. Eventually, the Captains held the Cardinals without a single shot in the first half before brushing aside six corner attempts over the final 30 minutes.

Abby Asuncion excelled on both ends as the senior picked up an assist on Norr's game-winning goal while helping anchor the penalty corner defense. Wednesday's performance continued an incredible run for the senior in her career against Catholic. Over the past four years, the Captains have registered five goals against the Cardinals. Asuncion has either scored or assisted on all five.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 5-3 on the season. The setback drops Catholic to 3-4.

In the first period, the Captains controlled the pace while dominating possession. After Christopher Newport charged down the field in the opening moments of the game, the squad kept the ball on the offensive end. Emma Logue was masterful along the right sideline and broke up several clear attempts by the hosts before Brooke Billhimer snuffed out a longer rally along the defensive 25.

With Catholic unable to orchestrate a sustained possession, Christopher Newport kept the pressure on the Cardinals. Norr and Alexis Morales both had on-target rips turned away by the goalie, while Emily Evans had an early blast blocked by a defender.

Still looking for an opening, the Captains broke through in the 10th minute. After securing a corner, the visitors showed off pristine ball movement. Following an insert by Logue, Katie Abendschoen shuffled a pass over to Asuncion. From the right side of the arc, the All-American rifled a rocket into the center of the zone where Arthur was stationed. Standing face-to-face with the keeper and a defender, the senior redirected the blast towards the left post where Norr deflected it behind the defense for the opening tally.

Early in the second stanza, the hosts were able to move the ball deeper into Christopher Newport's territory but struggled to mount an attack. Logue slapped away a long feed near the top of the arc before Abendschoen slammed the door on a run on the left side of the zone. Moments later, Morales snatched a roller and cleared midfield to punctuate the initial rally.

Although the Cardinals returned to the offensive end a few moments later, Marcella Sabbagh ripped the ball away along the 25 to stamp out the secondary surge.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Christopher Newport remained vigilant while searching for daylight. In the 23rd minute, Asuncion danced her way through a host of defenders before picking up a corner after getting fouled along the end line. Shortly thereafter, Arthur had a laser stoned by Catholic's goalie, and Norr had an attempt blocked by the back line.

After surviving the scare unscathed, the Cardinals orchestrated one final push at the tail end of the first half, but Billhimer locked up an attacker along the left sideline to help close out the period.

After halftime, Catholic came out on a mission. Searching for the equalizer, the Cardinals poked at Christopher Newport's defensive unit. Although Chloe Thompson and Lainey Pratzner slowed down an early run along the right sideline, the hosts eventually earned a series of corners.

On the first attempt by Catholic, Asuncion applied immediate pressure as the flyer and forced a shot to sail high. On the second try, Sabbagh bottled up a surge on the right side of the zone before Morales cleaned up the rebound on the left edge of the circle.

Later in the period, the hosts returned for two more corners, but once again, Christopher Newport was up to the task. In the 40th minute, the Cardinals avoided initial pressure by Morales and Asuncion along the top of the arc, but Sabbagh stayed deep and deflected a shot along the right post. Then, on the next attempt, Lily Kerr was able to kick aside a roller on the interior to keep the Cardinals scoreless entering the final quarter.

Keeping the momentum early in the fourth period, Catholic drew another corner, but Thompson defended the play at the top of the zone and prevented the Cardinals from even attempting a shot. Following the break-up, Asuncion threaded a 30-yard pass to Norr, who found herself streaking down the field all alone. Unfortunately, the Catholic keeper came out of the cage and forced the ensuing shot to trickle wide.

Following the early surge, Christopher Newport continued to test the Cardinals on the defensive end. The Captains collected back-to-back corners in the middle of the period, but rips by Asuncion and Sabbagh sailed wide. Later, the visitors earned a third try after Norr forced her way back into the circle while dodging a pair of defenders along the left pipe. Sadly, Abendschoen had a shot blocked by the defense as the squad continued to clutch its one-goal advantage.

With little wiggle room, the defense remained sturdy while pushing back against Catholic's advances. With six minutes remaining in regulation, the hosts blasted a long ball into the circle. Although an attacker was in a great position for a turnaround attempt, Sabbagh picked the pockets of the Cardinal and cleared the zone before any damage could be done.

Just over a minute later, Catholic picked up its sixth corner of the second half, but Morales came sprinting out of the cage and disrupted the play along the right side to prevent an on-target shot.

As time ticked away, Christopher Newport went to work on the clock. After working the ball into the offensive end, the Captains kept control while breaking up several clear attempts. Pratzner came through with a clutch interception with two minutes remaining before whittling time away in the left corner. Moments later, Asuncion and Evans also picked off passes to keep a lid on the Cardinals.

Although Catholic eventually managed to break free during a brief surge up the right sideline, Morales hustled back and slowed down the push with less than a minute remaining to help close out the 1-0 victory.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 17-7 advantage in shots and a 10-6 lead in corners. Meanwhile, Kerr pocketed a pair of saves and earned her second victory of the season.

The Captains will be back in action on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. when the team squares off with Wilson at Chambersburg High School in Pennsylvania.

---ISH---