LEXINGTON, Va. -- Less than 80 seconds into regulation, the sixth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team opened the scoring and never looked back as the Captains coupled the early strike with a 60-minute masterclass on the defensive side of the ball to secure a 1-0 victory over Washington and Lee on Saturday afternoon at the W&L Turf Field.

In the second minute of action, Courtney Hughlett scored the game's lone goal off a feed from Riley Iasiello. With that strike, she extended her scoring streak to eight consecutive games with at least one point. That stands as the fourth-longest stretch by a Captain in program history, tying identical runs by CNU Hall of Famer Belle Tunstall and former legend Diana Golden.

After Hughlett gave the visitors an early lead, the defense did the rest. Kendall Gibson, Lainey Pratzner, and Ellie Nuckols all blocked shots by the Generals, while Brooke Billhimer made a game-saving stab to knock the ball away from a shooter along the left post during a dangerous rally in the second stanza.

Along with the back line, Lily Kerr pocketed four saves while polishing off the squad's third straight shutout. It also was Kerr's 16th career shutout, moving her one away from matching the all-time program record set by former All-American Bailey Lien from 2013-16.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 13-1 on the season. The win was the program's first at the W&L Turf Field in eight years. Incidentally, the same stadium will serve as the home of the NCAA Final Four in less than a month.

On the other side, Washington and Lee dropped to 9-6 on the year and suffered its first shutout loss at home since a 2-0 setback against No. 19 Lynchburg on October 23, 2019. The Generals had scored at least once in 43 consecutive games at home since their last blanking.

Just over a minute into the contest, the Captains found their footing. On W&L's first possession, Maddison Steele burst across midfield and intercepted a pass to flip control. Off a restart, Kendall Gibson connected with Avery Mast, who was blanketed by three Generals along the right sideline.

Unfazed by the congestion, the freshman simply whistled a 15-yard feed to Iasiello, who was stationed near the offensive 25. Pushing forward, Iasiello split two defenders before drawing the attention of a third General on the right side of the circle. Without a clean look of her own, she shuffled a feed to Hughlett, who was all alone in the center of the zone.

After grabbing the pass, the second-year sensation ripped a one-timer inside the left post for the game's opening tally.

Looking to pull even, Washington and Lee orchestrated a counter-strike, but Christopher Newport's defense was up to the challenge. Billhimer intercepted a crosser on the doorstep before ripping away another pass in the middle of the circle. Moments later, Pratzner killed off a second surge with a tremendous tackle along the edge of the arc.

Although the hosts kept up the pressure, Billhimer picked the pockets of an attacker near the right pipe before Morgan Shealer cleared the ball up the sideline to give the back line a little breather heading into the second stanza. 

Regaining some momentum, Caroline Hughlett bottled up W&L's initial rush in the 16th minute before connecting with Nuckols, who sped up the right boundary while giving the ball back to the attack. On the ensuing possession, Mast cracked a centering feed through the circle, but it just skipped past a pair of sticks before slipping across the endline.

Keeping the ball on the offensive end of the field, Pratzner walled off a pair of clear attempts, while Katie Abendschoen battled her way up the left sideline before Iasiello generated a corner in the 19th minute. Unfortunately, the Captains came away empty-handed as Abendschoen's ensuing blast was kicked away by the keeper before Caroline Hughlett's second-chance opportunity was snuffed out as well.

Following CNU's rally, Washington and Lee retaliated with a sustained assault in the middle of the period. Holding up against the first wave, Gibson blocked a shot before Kerr hit the turf and swallowed another missile. Seconds later, Pratzner knocked down a follow-up attempt before Billhimer made the play of the day.

After the Captains were unable to clear the circle, an attacker sent a bouncer towards the left post. At the same time, a second General wiggled free and found some space behind Kerr. However, just before the pass landed on the shooter's stick, Billhimer dove towards the baseline and swatted the ball out of the circle before any damage could be done.

Continuing to pressure CNU, the hosts quickly picked up a corner, but Nuckols disrupted an initial look on the left side before Courtney Hughlett forced a shot to sail past the right pipe.

With time winding down in the first half, Kerr capped off the period with a solid stretch between the pipes. Facing a streaker, the junior All-American went to her knees and cut off the surge. Shortly thereafter, a spinner skipped past CNU's back line with two Generals in tow. As the last line of defense, Kerr won a race for the loose ball before punting it out of the zone to keep the 1-0 lead entering halftime.

After the break, Christopher Newport brushed aside another early assault by the hosts. Billhimer ripped the ball off the stick of a General along the left baseline, while Abendschoen cut off an entry run near the right edge of the arc. Seconds later, Courtney Hughlett set aside a subsequent surge in the right corner before Steele cleared the ball across midfield.

Trying to counter W&L's attack, Iasiello completed a touch pass to herself after breaking the ankles of a midfielder before finding Nuckols, who picked up a corner with some pressure along the right sideline. Unfortunately, Caroline Hughlett's ensuing shot was handled on the interior.

With six minutes left in the third quarter, the Generals had a solid look from the right side, but the ball clanked off the post before Billhimer grabbed the rebound and sent an aerial to Delaney Norr, who cleared the threat. Later, Norr kept the ball on the offensive end after stealing a pass along the 25, while Shealer and Pratzner threw up roadblocks on opposite boundaries.

Keeping possession, Emily Evans collected a rainbow from Caroline Hughlett and drove into the left corner. Shortly thereafter, Courtney Hughlett picked off a floater and tried to hit Nuckols on the move, but the ball just squeaked through the circle.

Entering the 45th minute, the Generals bolted down the field with numbers on their side. Generating a 3-on-2 breakaway, Washington and Lee nearly converted, but Billhimer stayed deep and snatched a pass just before it landed on the stick of an attacker deep inside the circle.

In the fourth quarter, the hosts continued to attack, but CNU never backed down. Mast poked away a turnaround tracer along the defensive 25, while Gibson intercepted a rip near the same spot. Later, a long hit spun into the circle, but Billhimer won possession from an attacker and worked it out of the zone.

Still rallying, Washington and Lee picked up a corner in the 52nd minute, but Nuckols continued her fantastic work as the flyer. Rushing towards the top of the circle, the second-year speedster confronted the shooter and deflected the ball just enough to send it bouncing past the left pipe.

Later in the period, the Captains were hit with a card and played shorthanded for a two-minute stretch. Despite the tenuous situation, Mast outran an attacker for control of a roller along the right sideline before stripping a defender on a failed clear near the offensive 25. Shortly thereafter, Steele plucked possession from a General near midfield, blew right past a second defender, and made her way to the baseline to kill off the card.

With time becoming a crucial factor, Christopher Newport controlled the tempo. Abendschoen single-handedly beat three midfielders while weaving through a crowd to clear the defensive zone. Then, Gibson came up and challenged a streaker along the left sideline, while Julia Oleyar applied pressure in the center of the turf and forced an errant pass, which gave the visitors possession in the left corner.

Still blanketing the turf, Abendschoen stole a failed clear near midfield, Nuckols grabbed one along the 25, and Billhimer tracked down a reverse rocket on the defensive side. Later, the senior sent the ball to Oleyar, who helped run off the last few seconds before Caroline Hughlett intercepted a desperation heave to ice the one-goal victory.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 13-6 advantage in shots and a 6-2 lead in corners.

CNU will return to action on November 2 when the Captains host Mary Washington in the regular season finale at 4 p.m.

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