SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- Less than two hours after climbing to sixth in the NFHCA National Coaches Poll, the Christopher Newport field hockey team put on another clinic as the Captains registered their 12th straight victory with a 4-0 triumph over Susquehanna on Tuesday afternoon at the Sassafras Multipurpose Field.
The squad's 12-game winning streak now stands as the fifth-longest run in program history and the finest performance since the 2017 squad ripped off 13 straight triumphs while surging to the NCAA Sweet 16. It also equals the second-longest active roll in all of collegiate field hockey, trailing only No. 1 Middlebury's 20-game run dating back to last year.
Not only did Tuesday's performance extend CNU's winning streak, but it also continued an incredible stretch by the nation's fifth-ranked scoring offense. The Captains have deposited at least two goals in all 12 games this season while collecting three or more in six consecutive outings. Both of those streaks rank second in the NCAA. No. 2 Babson has notched multiple tallies in 14 straight games, while Roger Williams has seven consecutive three-goal efforts.
Headlining the offense on Tuesday,
Abby Asuncion secured her 13th career multi-goal effort after landing a pair of daggers against Susquehanna. With that eruption, she moved into a tie for the top spot on the program's career points list. She and Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Belle Tunstall now have 115 points apiece.
Along with Asuncion,
Katie Abendschoen sank the game's opening tally, while
Maddison Steele snapped off her sixth goal in the past seven games.
Meanwhile, the defense was equally effective.
Lily Kerr came through with four saves while tallying her 10th career shutout, becoming just the third Captain to reach that milestone. All-American Bailey Lien had 17 shutouts from 2013-16, while Emma Stout recorded 11 from 2006-09.
In addition to Kerr's work between the pipes,
Alexis Morales chipped in with her first career defensive save, while
Brooke Billhimer and
Chloe Thompson helped anchor the back line. Aided by the work of the defensive unit, Christopher Newport polished off its third consecutive shutout. Making that performance even more impressive, all three have come on the road against programs that ranked in the top-50 nationally in scoring offense.
Overall, CNU improved to 12-0 on the season, while the setback dropped Susquehanna to 9-4. It also marked the first time this season that the River Hawks were shut out at home.
In the opening period, Christopher Newport went on the attack. Looking to grab an early advantage, the Captains moved the ball into the corners while pushing forward and challenging Susquehanna's defensive unit. In the first four minutes of action, Asuncion pumped a pair of shots, while
Caroline Hughlett had back-to-back attempts stamped out by the Susquehanna goalie.
After handling CNU's initial surge, the hosts had their first scoring opportunity in the 11th minute, but Morales cleaned up along the end line. The senior star came through with a defensive save to stifle a dangerous penalty corner by the River Hawks.
Looking to respond on the other end, Christopher Newport opened the floodgates. With two minutes left in the first period, the Captains secured a corner. After Asuncion inserted the ball to Morales, the senior star connected with Abendschoen, who had an initial rip turned aside. Continuing the surge, Asuncion regained possession and had another shot punched away by the keeper on the interior.
With pressure mounting, Abendschoen collected the final rebound and lined a laser past the left pipe for the game's opening tally.
On the restart,
Ellie Nuckols immediately pressured the River Hawks, forcing the hosts to surrender possession to Morales. In a flash, the attack went back to work. After Morales lifted the ball past two defenders,
Emily Evans used a slick fake to create a seam, which allowed the roller to find
Delaney Norr.
Steaming ahead, the senior speedster accelerated to the left baseline before using a reverse cross to connect with Asuncion. Grabbing possession, the two-time All-American kicked off her afternoon with a sweep into the back corner of the cage.
Incredibly, Asuncion's bullet landed just 26 seconds after Abendschoen's opening strike, marking the sixth-shortest span between goals in program history.
With their two tallies in the first frame, the Captains scored in their ninth straight quarter dating back to the opening period against Roanoke on October 1. That marked the squad's longest scoring streak since the NCAA switched to 15-minute quarters.
Staring at a 2-0 deficit, Susquehanna applied consistent pressure in the second stanza but could not find an opening in Christopher Newport's airtight defense. During a two-minute stretch in the middle of the period, the River Hawks picked up five consecutive corners, but the back line bottled up four of the attempts, while Kerr brushed away an on-target rip.
Later in the period, the hosts orchestrated another sustained surge, but the Captains held strong in the final moments of the first half. Pushing back against the attack, Thompson took control and remained calm in the corner while cutting 20 seconds off the clock. Although the River Hawks regained possession and earned a corner as time expired, Christopher Newport remained unfazed.
Standing tall, Asuncion applied immediate pressure along the arc before Morales knocked a blast away on the interior. With the ball rolling free, Nuckols sprinted back to clean up the play and clear it past the 25 to wrap up the first half.
After withstanding Susquehanna's advances in the second quarter, Christopher Newport's attack went back to work in the third stanza. Right from the start, Morales gained possession and threaded a feed to Asuncion. With only inches of space, she slipped a pass to
Lindsey Loar, who lifted the ball to Steele.
Although the third-year star had her first attempt turned away on the doorstep, she collected her own rebound, pulled around the goalie, and dented the backboard with an absolute missile.
As the offense continued to stretch its advantage, the defense simply dominated. After withstanding eight corners and four shots in the second quarter, Christopher Newport silenced the River Hawks in the third frame. Thompson broke up an early surge,
Lainey Pratzner stole the ball from a midfielder, and
Courtney Hughlett blanketed the field from sideline to sideline to keep the hosts from mustering a single shot in the period.
In the fourth quarter, the Captains tossed one final goal on the board after capitalizing on a corner. The River Hawks tried to clear the zone by dribbling the ball through the right side, but
Kendall Gibson snatched it back and sent it over to Morales. Although Susquehanna's goalie managed to stop the initial surge, Asuncion secured a second-chance opportunity and fired the ball towards the left post to complete her multi-goal performance.
With a 4-0 lead, Christopher Newport put a fitting punctuation mark on the contest with another solid defensive stand. The visitors bottled up a pair of corners in the middle of the period before
Avi McWhorter sent a long ball down the field to help end the threat. Later, Kerr preserved the shutout with her fourth save after batting away a rocket off a corner with two minutes remaining in regulation.
Following the defensive stand, Billhimer cleared the ball to
Joelie Erwin, who dribbled past multiple River Hawks while looking to generate one last scoring opportunity. Eventually, Morales sent a feed to the post, but Susquehanna managed to break up the last-second surge just before Norr could capitalize.
During the battle, Christopher Newport held a 15-7 advantage in shots, while the River Hawks had a 13-6 lead in corners. Susquehanna's 13 corners were the most by an opponent since No. 2 Johns Hopkins matched that total on September 18, 2021. It also marked the highest total in a shutout victory by the Captains since the team handled 18 corners during a 3-0 win against Centre on October 7, 2018.
CNU will return to action on Sunday when the squad heads to Fredericksburg, Virginia for an 11 a.m. test against Denison at Mary Washington's Battleground Turf Field.
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