WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Putting an end to a defensive struggle with a lethal eruption in the third quarter, Avery Mast and Courtney Hughlett landed back-to-back blows during an electric three-minute surge as the top-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team quickly flipped a scoreless battle into a 2-0 victory against No. 11 Williams on Sunday afternoon at Williamson Field.

Capitalizing on a series of corners in the second half, Hughlett set up a one-timer from Mast in the 41st minute before adding a blast of her own less than three minutes later. With her performance on Sunday, Hughlett became the 22nd player in program history to reach 50 career points. Meanwhile, her work on the opening goal was her eighth assist against a nationally-ranked foe, breaking the previous program standard of seven set by CNU Hall of Famer Belle Tunstall from 2011-14.

Along with Hughlett, Mast continued her domination of top-flight competition. The sophomore sensation scored her third goal of the year against a top-25 opponent after previously connecting in wins over No. 3 Salisbury and No. 5 Johns Hopkins. In just her second season with the Captains, she already has five career tallies against nationally-ranked teams, tying former legend Shelby Judkins and current assistant coaches Marlene Lichty and Alex Morales for the seventh-most in program lore.

In addition to the offensive standouts, Christopher Newport was equally effective on the other end of the field. Lily Kerr pocketed four saves while collecting her 23rd career shutout. Additionally, Morgan Shealer, Caroline Hughlett, and Kendall Gibson all blocked shots to help keep a lid on the Ephs' attack.

With the victory, CNU improved to 13-0 while picking up the program's first triumph against a team from the vaunted New England Small College Athletic Conference, which has produced 13 of the past 17 national champions. On the other side, the setback dropped Williams to 6-5.

Adding another layer to Sunday's triumph, it was the first time Williams was beaten at home by a non-conference opponent since a 2-1 loss to Babson on September 9, 2023. It was also the first time the Ephs were blanked at home by a non-NESCAC team since Skidmore picked up a 1-0 win on September 13, 2009.

Early on, CNU's defense was tested by a series of attacks from Williams. On an initial push, Kelly Via broke up a long hit along the left sideline as two attackers leaked free in the center of the turf. Moments later, Kerr came through with a diving stick save in traffic before Shealer blocked a shot with a leaping pirouette on the left side of the zone.

Looking to swing momentum in the middle of the stanza, Courtney Hughlett played down an aerial before launching a rocket up the turf. Eventually, the ball found its way to Gigi Stephan, who made a nice run along the baseline, but Williams' keeper smothered the ensuing shot.

Shortly thereafter, Shealer blockaded the right sideline and stole possession before finding Riley Iasiello, who weaved through three midfielders along the center stripe. Pushing forward, she spun her way into the circle, but the back line bottled up her surge on the interior.

Later in the period, the hosts went back on the attack, but Christopher Newport had an answer. After an Eph attempted to slip through the defense in the right corner, Kate Engle stayed with the attacker, grabbed the ball, and dribbled it up the sideline. Shortly thereafter, Via ripped a spinner off the stick of a shooter before Mast won a race for a loose ball and sent a floater up the turf to help kill off the opening period.

In the second quarter, the two teams traded a pair of rallies in the opening moments. Kicking off the action, Mast sidestepped a defender and blasted a backhand that went skyward. Unfortunately, Williams' goalie made a leaping save to block the shot just before it dipped underneath the crossbar.

Seconds later, the hosts orchestrated a counterstrike. On a quick rush going the other way, an attacker found some space while barreling towards the left post. Racing back, Shealer caught up to the streaker, cut off the run, and forced a pass, which Caroline Hughlett immediately intercepted.

In the middle of the period, Gibson pieced together a defensive clinic. Throwing up roadblocks on the right side of the field, she blocked a pass near the edge of the arc, stymied another feed along the baseline, and orchestrated a textbook tackle to stone a push on the boundary with five minutes left in the first half.

With time winding down in the second quarter, Shealer parried a rip in the center of the circle after an Eph wiggled free on the interior. Then, on the opposite side, Iasiello fired a missile from the right sideline. After the ball crossed the arc, it bounced off Caroline Hughlett's stick and sailed towards the left post, but Lindsey Loar just missed redirecting it, which put an end to the scoreless first half.

Following the break, Christopher Newport picked up the pace. Iasiello generated a pair of early corners with pressure on the right side of the zone, while Mast garnered a third attempt after punching the ball off the foot of a defender. Unfortunately, back-to-back shots were blocked by the Ephs before a turnaround tracer by Loar skipped past the right post.

Looking to counter on the opposite end, the hosts had numbers on their side during a spurt up the right boundary, but Kerr kicked away a crosser just in front of the cage. After brushing aside the threat, Caroline Hughlett helped clear the back end. First, she connected with Julia Oleyar on a pair of runs towards the right corner. Then, she won a bully in the center of the turf and lofted a rainbow to Brylee Johnston, which helped flip the field.

Taking advantage of the possession, Stephan unloaded a screamer that caught the foot of a defender and earned a corner. On the ensuing play, Emily Evans inserted the ball to Courtney Hughlett, who dished it back to Mast. With some room to work along the top right edge of the circle, the second-year standout unleashed a wicked dart that blew right through the legs of a defender, spun past the outstretched pads of the goalie, and buried itself in the bottom left corner of the cage for a 1-0 lead.

After a fast retaliation was handled by Via and Shealer on the defensive end, CNU's attack went right back to work. On two straight corners in the 43rd minute, Courtney Hughlett tormented Williams' flyer. On the first try, she rifled a shot off the defender's foot, which quickly earned a second attempt. With another opportunity, Hughlett secured a tap from Mast before confronting the flyer once again. This time, she broke the ankles of the Eph with a devastating spin move before threading a needle inside the right pipe for a 2-0 advantage.

Staring at a two-goal hole, the hosts attempted to respond with a corner of their own just before the end of the third period, but Caroline Hughlett deflected a rip at the top of the zone to keep the shutout intact.

In the final frame, CNU put the finishing touches on its defensive masterpiece. Early on, Via picked off a roller near the left post before Courtney Hughlett plucked one along the opposite baseline. Later, Ellie Nuckols stole an errant feed near the center stripe before disrupting a pass in the left corner.

With pressure mounting, Kerr made a diving save on the interior in the 55th minute. Only seconds later, after Williams picked up a corner, Courtney Hughlett forced a pass with pressure at the top of the zone before Caroline Hughlett caused a low-percentage shot to dribble wide. Then, Engle won a duel with an attacker on the left side before Gibson blocked a shot in the middle of a scrum to lock up the 2-0 victory.

Overall, Christopher Newport held a 9-8 advantage in shots and a 6-2 lead in corners.

CNU will return to action on Tuesday at 11 a.m. when the Captains complete their Fall Break expedition with a road trip to New Paltz.

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