NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Maddison Steele and Delaney Norr both notched multi-goal efforts, while the defense continued its early season domination as the sixth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team shut out Ohio Wesleyan, 4-0, on a gorgeous Friday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

Setting the tone, Steele struck twice in the opening moments of the first quarter to give CNU a fast 2-0 advantage. Her early eruption marked just the fifth time in program history that a Captain scored twice in the first five minutes of regulation. Incidentally, she became the first player to do it twice after previously accomplishing the feat against No. 17 Bryn Mawr on September 23, 2023.

Steele's second strike of the contest also was her 25th career tally, making her the 15th Captain to reach that benchmark.

Along with Steele, Norr came through with a career-high five points after posting two goals and an assist. Friday's explosion was Norr's third career multi-goal effort, while it was the fourth of Steele's tenure.

In addition to the offensive stars, Christopher Newport was equally impressive on the other end of the field. The Captains limited Ohio Wesleyan to only four shots. Brooke Billhimer blocked a blast off a penalty corner in the first quarter, while Ella Fallen added three saves in the third stanza to help polish off the shutout.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 5-0 for just the fourth time in program history. Meanwhile, the setback dropped Ohio Wesleyan to 5-2 and snapped the Battling Bishops' three-game winning streak.

Kicking off the action less than two minutes into regulation, Courtney Hughlett sent a beautiful feed up the right sideline to Norr, who was stationed in the corner. Flashing her wheels, the senior scooted to the end line, dipped under a defender, and got the goalie to leave the cage. With some room to work, she popped a pass to Steele, who dropped a bouncer between two defenders for the game's opening tally.

Although the visitors attempted to answer on the other end of the field, Billhimer pushed back with a lunging deflection inside the circle to break up a dangerous feed in the fourth minute.

After surviving the early scare, CNU quickly gained some breathing room. Hughlett picked the pockets of a defender along the right sideline and immediately flipped possession to Steele. Bolting towards the circle, she dodged a defender, got to her backhand, and blasted a bullet that dented the back of the cage for a 2-0 advantage.

Looking for a response, the Battling Bishops were stymied by CNU's suffocating defensive unit. Avery Mast had a pair of strips along the left sideline, while Riley Iasiello jumped a passing lane near midfield to flip possession with four minutes left in the quarter. Moments later, Katie Abendschoen bottled up a feed along the arc, but the visitors eventually generated a corner with less than 20 seconds left in the period.

Standing tall on the back side, Billhimer blocked a dart down low before Norr escorted the ball up the right boundary to kill off the final few ticks of the period.

Continuing the defensive domination in the second quarter, Ellie Nuckols and Caroline Hughlett cut off a run up the left sideline before Courtney Hughlett plucked a bouncer off the turf near midfield. Later, Morgan Shealer got in front of a streaker in the right corner and sent the Bishop tumbling to the turf before snatching possession.

Although the visitors continued to test the Captains, CNU never gave an inch. Kendall Gibson won a duel inside the circle to quiet Ohio Wesleyan's deepest drive of the period. Meanwhile, Abendschoen walled off a pair of surges along the right boundary before Lainey Pratzner set up Christopher Newport's third goal of the game.

In the 25th minute, Pratzner broke up a clear attempt along the left side of the field. After stealing possession, she threaded a pass that skipped between five different players before settling on Norr's stick. After taking control, the senior sniped a seed past the diving keeper for a 3-0 lead entering the break.

Keeping the pressure on Ohio Wesleyan's defense, CNU continued to march forward in the third quarter. Mast launched a laser into the circle, but it was deflected by a defender. Shortly thereafter, Courtney Hughlett had a pair of penetrations along the left side of the arc, but both rallies were swallowed up on the interior.

After holding up against Christopher Newport's advances, Ohio Wesleyan orchestrated its own push in the 43rd minute. Although an attacker slipped free along the right post, Fallen blocked a pair of on-target blasts before erasing another difficult deflection with a kick save to keep the visitors off the board entering the fourth quarter.

In search of their third shutout of the season, the Captains remained vigilant in the final stanza. Early on, Gigi Stephan wrestled possession away from a midfielder, while Abendschoen stamped out a pair of runs up the left sideline. Courtney Hughlett also stayed on the hip of an attacker and turned away a surge along the edge of the arc.

With little left to prove, CNU added one final exclamation point. After earning a corner in the 51st minute, Norr inserted the feed to Caroline Hughlett, who pushed it over to Abendschoen. Unloading from the top of the arc, Abendschoen laced a bullet towards the cage. Eventually, Norr gained possession of a deflection on the inside before completing the play with a scorcher along the left post.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 28-4 advantage in shots and a 9-1 edge in corners. Lily Kerr picked up the win with 38 minutes of scoreless action before Fallen cleaned up the shutout with stellar work over the final two periods.

CNU will return to action on Sunday at 2 p.m. when the Captains square off against No. 9 York (Pa.) in a top-10 battle at Jennings Family Stadium.

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