FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- After leading the Christopher Newport field hockey team to its seventh straight victory,
Kendall Gibson was named the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday afternoon.
Hauling in her first career weekly award, Gibson made an impact on both ends of the field while guiding the Captains to a 2-1 victory at Vassar on Saturday. During the contest, she helped suffocate the Brewers on the defensive end while also helping set up each of CNU's two tallies.
Headlining her award-winning performance, Gibson registered her second defensive save of the season after brushing aside an on-target rip in the seventh minute. After the Captains secured an early lead, Vassar earned a penalty corner and had an open look on the inside, but Gibson dipped low and deflected the blast before it slipped between the pipes.
Later in the contest, Gibson helped lock down the Brewers over the last 30 minutes of regulation. During the final two quarters, Vassar was unable to generate a single shot as Christopher Newport rolled to the victory.
Just as impactful on the other end of the field, Gibson provided a spark less than two minutes into regulation. On CNU's first corner of the contest, she handled the insert and unloaded a shot from the top of the arc. Although the Brewers blocked the initial rocket, the Captains secured the rebound and capitalized just seven seconds later for a fast 1-0 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Gibson came back for more. Taking a free hit from the right sideline, the second-year star threaded a 20-yard seed to the circle. Six seconds later, after another pass to the interior, the Captains landed the game-winning blow to ice the 2-1 triumph.
In her second year with the Captains, Gibson has been a mainstay on Christopher Newport's defensive unit, which ranks fourth in the nation in scoring defense and 10th in save percentage. On an individual level, the Charlottesville, Virginia native sits third on the team with 391 minutes of work and leads the league with two defensive saves.
Gibson and the rest of her teammates will return to action on Saturday when CNU hosts Centre at noon.
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