WINCHESTER, Va. -- After striking twice in the first four minutes of action, the 7th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team grabbed an early advantage and never looked back as the Captains withstood a late push by No. 11 Kean to secure a 3-2 victory during a nationally-ranked thriller on a sun-soaked Saturday evening at Shenandoah University's Shentel Stadium.

Coming off a three-assist showcase on Monday against Virginia Wesleyan, Maddison Steele continued her epic run by setting up first-quarter daggers by Caroline Hughlett and Abby Asuncion. Later, after Kean inched closer, Alexis Morales landed a lethal blow in the third quarter, which gave the Captains all the cushion they would need.

With her goal, Hughlett registered a point against her third nationally-ranked foe of the season after previously scoring against No. 19 Franklin & Marshall and adding an assist in a win over No. 17 Bryn Mawr. She is the first freshman to record a point against three top-20 teams since Jackie Kotoriy accomplished the feat in 2017.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Christopher Newport clamped down against Kean's high-powered attack. Lily Kerr made six saves, including several highlight-reel stops to thwart fast-break opportunities. Chloe Thompson also contributed her fifth career defensive save and deflected multiple shots, while Brooke Billhimer was a wrecking ball on the back line.

With the victory, CNU improved to 9-0 on the season, while the setback dropped Kean to 6-2. The triumph also marked Christopher Newport's fourth win against a nationally-ranked opponent this year. That equals the most in a single campaign since the 2013 squad knocked off six during a run to the NCAA Final Four.

Right from the start, Christopher Newport set the tone with a breathtaking assault. Matching their early eruptions against No. 17 Bryn Mawr and Virginia Wesleyan over the past week, the Captains slapped two quick goals on the board.

In the third minute, the Kean keeper attempted to boot the ball out of the circle, but Steele was there to continue an early surge. The third-year star snatched the roller at the arc, scooted her way inside, and flipped a pinpoint pass through traffic to Hughlett, who deposited the opening strike along the right post.

Less than a minute later, the Captains came back for more. Showing off the squad's elite speed, Steele, Asuncion, and Hughlett generated a three-on-two breakaway. Running point along the left sideline, Steele bolted up the field, scampered into the circle, and pushed a feed to Asuncion. With open spaces, she grabbed the pass, turned, and rifled a backhand bullet inside the left pipe to steal a 2-0 edge.

Holding a healthy lead, CNU settled in on the defensive side. Thompson disrupted Kean's first rush before lofting an aerial back to the attack. Later, Billhimer delayed a push into the circle before Thompson and Katie Abendschoen built a brick wall on the left side of the arc to prevent another rally. Shortly thereafter, Lainey Pratzner tattooed a midfielder with a long hit up the sideline to end the threat.

Although the Cougars came storming back in the middle of the stanza, Kerr made a diving save on a screamer in the seventh minute before Morales blocked a follow-up attempt. Asuncion also ripped a roller off the stick of a shooter to keep Kean at bay.

Looking to land a counterpunch on the other end, Delaney Norr flashed her wheels and won a race for a loose ball that skipped up the turf. Facing a one-on-one with the keeper, she nearly found an opening, but the goalie made a sliding save at the last second to kill off the rally.

Trading runs, Kean shot back at the end of the period, but Hughlett picked off a feed along the 25 before Billhimer wrestled possession away on a long hit to help close out the opening stanza.

At the start of the second quarter, the Cougars tried to break through but had little success cracking Christopher Newport's back line. On a corner, Asuncion raced out to the top of the circle to prevent an initial shot before Thompson blocked a rip on the interior. Less than a minute later, Billhimer dropped low for a textbook tackle that sent an attacker spinning head-over-heels along the right sideline.

Continuing to attack, Kean eventually cracked the scoreboard in the 23rd minute. Just over a minute later, the Cougars nearly evened the score, but the Captains pieced together a remarkable play. With an attacker slipping behind Christopher Newport's last line of defense, Kerr came out of the cage and slammed the door on the breakaway with a diving stop in the middle of the circle. Although a second Cougar was there to secure the rebound, Thompson raced over and walled off the left pipe to prevent any damage.

Still trying to land the equalizer, Kean orchestrated another surge at the tail end of the second period, but Ellie Nuckols had a pair of interceptions along the arc before deflecting a rocket along the left sideline to help close out the stanza.

After the break, Christopher Newport went back on the attack. Playing shorthanded, Asuncion fired a 25-yard seed into the circle that skipped past the keeper, but it just missed connecting with Courtney Hughlett's stick and spun past the left post. Later, Kendall Gibson regained possession with a tackle on the defensive side before the Captains struck again.

Earning a corner in the 38th minute, Thompson inserted a feed to Abendschoen. After settling the ball, she dished it inside to Morales, who rifled a laser between a defender and the pipe for her fifth tally of the year.

Staring at a two-goal hole, Kean tried to cut into its deficit. Moments after Morales' strike, Thompson grabbed a tough bouncer into the circle to foil an early run by the Cougars. Later, after the opposition generated a corner attempt, Asuncion came bolting out of the cage and nearly beat the insert to a shooter at the top of the arc. Although the ball eventually settled on a Cougar's stick, the fifth-year phenom quickly deflected the ensuing shot to prevent any damage.

Continuing to hold strong, Thompson dipped low and snatched possession along the right sideline before Emily Evans jumped a passing lane and gained control in the final moments of the third period.

With their backs planted firmly against a wall entering the final 15 minutes of regulation, the Cougars tried to finagle a comeback. The squad picked up three early corners in the fourth frame, but Thompson blocked a shot on the first try before Asuncion deflected a rope on the second attempt. Then, on the final corner, Kean had a clean look from the top of the arc, but Kerr made a gorgeous kick save to spoil an absolute bullet.

Remaining vigilant on the defensive end, Courtney Hughlett picked off a pair of passes on the left side of the field before Norr came through with a fantastic play to stymie a clear attempt. As a Cougar loaded up to uncork a blast up the sideline, Norr came screaming over and plucked the ball off the turf before the defender could make contact, which helped the Captains cut additional time off the clock.

With mere minutes left in regulation, Abendschoen had a slick tackle along the 25, while Pratzner handled a tough bouncer that spun off multiple sticks inside the circle. Later, Thompson blocked another shot off a corner before sending a feed to Evans, who scurried up the sideline.

Looking to add one final highlight to her 60-minute masterpiece, Thompson helped shut down one of the opposition's final rallies with three minutes left in regulation. After a Kean sub slipped onto the field with fresh legs, the Cougars sent a long ball down the field in search of a breakaway. Despite having played over 56 minutes longer than the attacker, Thompson ran stride-for-stride with her mark before escorting the ball out of bounds.

Although Kean eventually struck again with 62 seconds left in regulation, Christopher Newport polished off the victory. In the final moments, Norr blocked a hit near midfield before Caroline Hughlett won a race for the deflection and ran the final few ticks off the scoreboard.

Overall, CNU held a 20-15 advantage in shots, while both squads attempted eight corners.

The Captains will be back in action on Sunday with a noon test at Roanoke.

---ISH---