NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Scoring three times in the first half, Lindsey Loar gave the top-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team more than enough breathing room as the Captains took advantage of another outstanding defensive performance to shut out No. 14 Rowan, 3-0, on a windy Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.

Against the Profs, Loar put on a clinic while becoming just the fifth player in program history to collect three career hat-tricks. In that exclusive club, she placed her name alongside CNU Hall of Famer Wendy Wilson, All-Americans Abby Asuncion and Ashley Traylor, and longtime legend Megan McCreedy.

Coupled with her three-goal eruption against Rhodes on October 5, she also became the sixth player with multiple hat-tricks in a single season, joining Wilson (2001), McCreedy (2004), Traylor (2006), Asuncion (2021), and former standout Kelsey Clark (2013).

Adding an extra layer to her accomplishment on Saturday, Loar became the first Captain in history to notch a hat-trick against a nationally-ranked opponent. Meanwhile, her six total points equaled the program standard against a top-25 foe, matching the efforts by Traylor against No. 17 Alvernia on November 8, 2006 and CNU Hall of Famer Caitlin Cahill against No. 20 Johns Hopkins on September 25, 2011.

Along with Loar's masterful performance, Courtney Hughlett chipped in with a pair of assists, including her 13th of the year. That moved her into a tie for the top spot on the program's all-time single-season charts, equaling her own effort from last year as well as Haylie Black's 13-assist campaign in 2006.

On the other end of the field, Lily Kerr picked up her 25th career shutout after securing four saves against the high-powered Rowan attack, which entered the contest ranked eighth in the NCAA in scoring offense. The Profs, who were averaging 3.94 goals per game in 2025, had scored at least once in 36 straight contests dating back to last year.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 16-0 while recording the squad's sixth win against a nationally-ranked opponent this season. On the other side, the setback dropped Rowan to 13-4 and snapped the team's nine-game winning streak.

Testing the Captains early in the first quarter, the Profs put together a quick rush in the fourth minute, but CNU flashed its chops on the defensive end. After a ball bounced through a crowd near the 25, the visitors nearly had a breakaway, but Kendall Gibson caught up to the streaker, pushed her towards the left side of the circle, and forced a low-percentage pass, which Kelly Via intercepted.

Moments later, Rowan returned to the offensive end, but Via bottled up another centering feed before Courtney Hughlett blocked a blast from the top of the arc. Looking to flip the field, Via eventually sent an aerial to Avery Mast, who connected with Riley Iasiello on a successful clear up the left sideline.

Following Rowan's rally, CNU orchestrated a successful response in the eighth minute. Stationed near the 25, Morgan Shealer found Ellie Nuckols, who turned and fired a missile into the circle. Battling along the baseline, Iasiello won a fight with a defender, stole possession, and generated a corner in a four-second span.

Looking to capitalize on the ensuing play, Nuckols inserted the ball to Mast, who launched a rocket from long range. Although the initial blast was handled by the defense, the ball skipped out to Loar, who collected the rebound and deposited a second-chance seed inside the left post for a 1-0 lead.

With time winding down in the opening period, the visitors picked up the pace. Trying to level the score, the Profs deflected a shot on the interior, but Kerr stuck with the bouncer and made a kick save before Gigi Stephan escorted it out of the zone. Later, in the final minute of the quarter, Via broke up a two-on-two push near the 25, Shealer slowed down a dangerous rally along the left sideline, and Gibson blocked off a free hit at the edge of the circle to keep the one-goal advantage.

Still controlling the tempo in the second stanza, Rowan peppered CNU's back line in the opening moments. Stepping up against the onslaught, Kerr punted an early rip before the visitors secured three straight corners. Unfazed by the assault, Via broke up the first try after racing in from midfield to block a potential shot from behind. Then, on the second attempt, Courtney Hughlett deflected a dart from the top of the zone before Kerr made a save along the left post.

Later, on the third corner, Hughlett applied immediate pressure on the left side. Although the Profs were able to slip a pass towards the cage, Shealer walled off the opposite post to keep the shutout intact.
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Following the defensive stand, Mast and Iasiello cleared the ball up the sideline, but Rowan returned again in the 22nd minute. After securing their fourth corner of the period, the Profs tried to land a quick dagger from the left edge of the arc, but Nuckols burst out of the cage, confronted the shooter, and blocked the try before any damage could be done.

Still searching for an opening, Rowan regrouped and attempted to mount a second surge, but Kate Engle helped stunt three straight rallies, including a slick stab that knocked the ball loose in the left corner. Then, with the Profs trying to find space along the opposite boundary, Brylee Johnston flew onto the field and pressured a midfielder into an errant pass, which Caroline Hughlett quickly picked off.

With possession, Hughlett ran through two Profs before dishing the ball to Mast, who spun around a pair of midfielders and dipped underneath a third near the left sideline. After securing some room, Mast tossed the ball to Courtney Hughlett. Sprinting into the circle, the junior star ran past a defender, hit the brakes, and uncorked a no-look feed back towards the left post.

Showcasing incredible instincts, Loar did the rest. Surrounded by two defenders and the goalie, she popped out of the crowd, found some freedom, and redirected Hughlett's feed through traffic for her second strike of the game.

Three minutes later, Hughlett and Loar teamed up again. This time, Gibson threaded a 20-yard pass to Hughlett, who cut right through two Profs on the left side of the zone. Cruising towards the baseline, she avoided a third defender, went airborne, and slapped a screamer towards the center of the circle. Screening the goalie, Loar tipped the pass around the keeper to cap off her third career hat-trick.

Staring at a 3-0 hole entering halftime, Rowan came out of the break on the attack. In the 32nd minute, the visitors collected another corner, but Kerr made a kick save before Gibson corralled the rebound to prevent a follow-up attempt. Flipping the field, Emily Evans blistered a tracer up the right sideline to give the defense a short breather.

Although the Profs returned to the offensive end, Courtney Hughlett picked off a pass near the 25 before her sister handled an aerial along the left side of the arc. Seconds later, the Captains intercepted another floater near the opposite boundary before Loar and Julia Oleyar completed a clear up the sideline.

In the waning moments of the third quarter, Rowan managed to work the ball down the field for one final rally, but Mast grabbed a long hit along the circle before poking a roller away from a second attacker, which helped cap off the period.

Entering the final frame, Christopher Newport set its sights on the shutout. Courtney Hughlett kicked off the quarter with an outstretched strip near the top of the circle on Rowan's first rush of the period. Two minutes later, Caroline Hughlett stuck to the hip of a shooter to prevent a clean look on the left side before Mast blocked an attempt on the interior. Shortly thereafter, with an attacker leaking free on the right sideline, Mast stoned a pass that had the potential to spring a breakaway.

After clearing the defensive end, the Captains settled in on the other side of the field. Testing Rowan's back line, Iasiello had a shot kicked away by the keeper before CNU nearly converted a corner in the 53rd minute. Following an insert by Evans, Via had a rip blocked by the goalie. Pocketing the rebound, Courtney Hughlett wiggled through a crowd and found just enough daylight to squeeze a pass through five players.

On the receiving end, Nuckols punched the ball towards the cage, but a sixth defender raced in and grabbed the shot just before it crossed the goal line.

Following the offensive stand, Christopher Newport's defense did the rest. Blanketing the turf from sideline to sideline, Caroline Hughlett picked off a clear on the right boundary, plucked an aerial along the opposite side, and won a physical altercation with a midfielder near the center stripe. Then, Via picked the pockets of an attacker at the 25, while Engle got her stick on a pass during a subsequent surge, which resulted in a takeaway by Courtney Hughlett that helped ice the 3-0 victory.

Facing an opponent that entered the weekend ranked first in the NCAA with a 12.75 corners-per-game average, the Captains surrendered only five on Saturday while holding an 11-5 edge overall. CNU also had a 27-8 advantage in shots during the contest.

Christopher Newport will conclude the regular season on Wednesday when the team heads to Mary Washington for a 4 p.m. showdown.

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