WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Scoring twice in the second quarter, the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team grabbed a first-half lead and never looked back as the Captains registered their second straight shutout with a 2-0 triumph over Catholic on Wednesday evening at Cardinal Stadium.

Maddison Steele opened the scoring in the 16th minute after sinking her team-leading seventh goal of the season. Seven minutes later, Ellie Nuckols gave the Captains a little extra cushion after capitalizing on her first strike of the year.

Along with her offensive contributions, Nuckols also blocked a pair of shots during the contest. Meanwhile, the entire back line locked down the high-powered Catholic attack while collecting the program's fifth shutout of the year. The Cardinals mustered only six total shots, including just two on-target rips. Lily Kerr brushed aside one of the attempts, while Brooke Billhimer handled the other try with her second defensive save of the year.

With that performance, Billhimer became just the seventh player in program history to collect 10 career defensive saves. In that club, she joined CNU Hall of Famer Jacque Mayer, All-American Brittan Muir, and longtime standouts Chelsea Hines, Marcella Sabbagh, April Cullen, and Sarah Miller.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 9-0 on the season. Not only have the Captains won each of their first nine games this year, but they have yet to trail in any contest. That stands as the finest stretch to open a season in program history, besting the legendary 2013 squad, which did not trail in any of its first eight outings.

On the other side, the setback dropped Catholic to 5-7 and marked the school's fifth straight loss to CNU dating back to 2018.

Early on, Christopher Newport tested the Cardinals with a relentless assault. Controlling possession throughout the first quarter, the visitors kept the ball planted on the offensive side of the field. Steele had an early attempt blocked by a defender before drawing a corner with a rush towards the right post. Moments later, Katie Abendschoen and Lainey Pratzner had on-target tracers kicked away by the goalie on back-to-back corner plays.

Refusing to let Catholic flip the field, Riley Iasiello helped barricade the right sideline before Courtney Hughlett cut off a clear on the opposite boundary. Julia Oleyar also had an interception along the offensive 25 to keep the ball in the hands of the attack.

Despite the early onslaught, the Cardinals kept the game scoreless with two more saves in the waning moments of the first stanza.

Still searching for their first goal, the Captains struck early in the second period. After Billhimer picked off a centering pass on the defensive end, Caroline Hughlett threaded a 40-yard feed up the field, which jump-started a counter-strike. Slipping behind the defense, Avery Mast caught up to the roller as Steele cut towards the cage. In a flash, Mast connected with her teammate, who drew the goalie out of the cage and landed a backhand blast for a 1-0 lead.

Looking to respond, a Cardinal broke loose up the left sideline, but Morgan Shealer caught up to the play and forced a pass, which Abendschoen corralled. Shortly thereafter, Shealer stole a lengthy bouncer towards the left pipe, while Pratzner ripped one away from an attacker along the right edge of the arc.

After surviving Catholic's retaliation, Christopher Newport struck again. In the 23rd minute, the Captains generated a corner and quickly put their passing skills on full display. Following a beautiful insert by Emily Evans, CNU went around-the-horn as Billhimer found Abendschoen, who quickly dished the ball to Caroline Hughlett. With the defense struggling to catch up, Hughlett sliced a feed inside to her sister. Incredibly, Courtney Hughlett slipped a pass between two defenders and the goalie. On the receiving end, Nuckols snuck behind the Cardinals and jammed one home along the right post for a 2-0 edge.

Following her work on the offensive end, Nuckols continued to star on the back side as well. In the latter part of the first half, Catholic picked up two consecutive corners, but Nuckols put an end to both rallies. First, she blocked a blast at the top of the circle before bottling up another attempt on the interior to keep the Cardinals off the board entering halftime.

In the third quarter, Christopher Newport put on a clinic on the defensive side of the field. Although the hosts picked up the pressure, CNU clamped down. Early on, Pratzner had an interception in the right corner before Abendschoen disrupted a pass along the arc. Minutes later, on a corner, Caroline Hughlett flashed her wheels as the flyer. The second-year speedster applied immediate pressure at the top of the circle before blocking the ensuing shot.

On Catholic's next corner, Kerr and Billhimer stole the show. Cutting off a ground assault, Kerr laid out on the turf to block a worm-burner. Although the Cardinals kept possession and tried to pop a shot over the keeper, Billhimer stayed deep along the baseline and knocked the aerial attack out of harm's way for her 10th career defensive save.

Despite securing two more corners in the final minutes of the third quarter, Catholic came away empty-handed. On the first attempt, Kendall Gibson ripped the ball right off the stick of an attacker along the right post. Then, on the next try, Courtney Hughlett rushed out of the cage and forced a low-percentage shot, which Billhimer blocked on the inside.

Although Catholic continued to push forward in the fourth quarter, the hosts had little success finding any space in CNU's airtight defense. Early on, Billhimer picked off a clear near midfield, Shealer won a duel along the defensive 25, and Evans disrupted a run along the left sideline. Although the Cardinals eventually worked the ball all the way down the turf, Pratzner stole possession in the right corner, while Shealer intercepted a crosser on the doorstep. 

Then, in the 54th minute, the hosts collected their final corner of the contest. Once again, CNU held firm. On the play, Nuckols put her athleticism on full display. Serving as the flyer, she got right in the face of an attacker at the top of the circle and forced a pass. Stopping on a dime, she quickly changed direction and bolted towards the left side of the zone to pressure another shooter. Eventually, her hustle forced an errant pass, which Caroline Hughlett gobbled up on the interior.

Following the defensive stand, Norr put on a showcase on the other end. Kicking things off, she outran a defender and stole a pass on a breakaway, which forced the keeper to come out and make a sliding stop. Seconds later, Evans collected the loose ball and returned it to Norr, who had a second-chance opportunity just skip past the right post. Unfazed, she regrouped and swiped the ball from another Cardinal on the left side of the field before handing possession to Pratzner, who helped kill off the last remaining moments with some fancy stickwork in the corner.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 15-6 advantage in shots during the game, while Catholic had a 7-5 lead in corners.

CNU will return to action on October 16 when the Captains travel to No. 2 Salisbury for a top-five showdown beginning at 4 p.m. at Sea Gull Stadium.

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