Photo Gallery (Courtesy of Sydney Smith)

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Entering the final moments of the second overtime period, Riley Iasiello pieced together a 75-yard sprint before finding Caroline Hughlett for the game-winning buzzer-beater, which landed with 0.1 seconds left on the clock and lifted the top-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team to a remarkable 2-1 victory over No. 3 Salisbury on a sun-soaked Wednesday evening at Jennings Family Stadium.

After Ellie Nuckols forced a turnover on the defensive side, Avery Mast dished the ball to Iasiello, who flipped the field in less than 10 seconds. Running stride-for-stride with her teammate, Hughlett eventually secured a feed in the circle and sank the final blow just a split second before the horn sounded.

Along with the late-game heroics, Mast added the opening strike in the 56th minute off a pass from Courtney Hughlett, which handed the hosts a 1-0 edge. Although Salisbury responded just over a minute later, Lily Kerr made her fifth save of the game with a highlight-reel stop in the waning moments of regulation to force overtime.

With her tally, Caroline Hughlett solidified her spot as one of the program's elite prime-time players. Stepping up under the bright lights once again, the junior star secured her fourth career game-winning goal against a nationally-ranked opponent. That equaled the school record set by current assistant coach and CNU Hall of Famer Marlene Lichty, who had four of her own from 2010-13.

Hughlett's clincher was also her 20th career point against a top-25 squad, vaulting her past longtime legend Belle Tunstall for the most by a Captain in program history.

With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 12-0 on the season, while the setback dropped Salisbury to 9-2.

After the two teams battled to a scoreless draw during the first 55 minutes, the floodgates opened at the end of the fourth quarter. Kicking off the late eruption, Nuckols picked the pockets of a Sea Gull along the right sideline, curled underneath a second defender, and bolted into the circle while tight-roping the baseline. Eventually, she popped the ball off the legs of a third foe, which earned a corner.

On the ensuing play, Emily Evans connected with Courtney Hughlett, who drew the flyer towards the right side of the circle. With the defense shifting in her direction, Hughlett tossed the ball back to Mast, who unloaded a screamer that deflected off a defender's stick before tucking itself into the back of the cage for a 1-0 edge.

Staring at a deficit, the Sea Gulls responded just over a minute later after capitalizing on a backhand next to the left post following a 15-yard feed along the endline.

With momentum swinging towards the Salisbury sideline in the final moments of regulation, Christopher Newport stepped up on the defensive end. Kendall Gibson slowed a rally up the right sideline while punching the ball out of bounds. Although the visitors regained possession and worked their way into the circle, Kerr came through with a game-saving stop.

After collecting a bouncer in front of the cage, a Salisbury shooter found herself one-on-one with CNU's keeper. Unfazed by the situation, Kerr made a lunging stop to her right to knock away the bullet. Tracking down the ricochet, Morgan Shealer stayed with another attacker in the left corner to prevent a follow-up attempt before Courtney Hughlett broke up a pass along the edge of the arc. Then, in the final minute, Shealer regained possession along the left sideline and cleared the ball to the Hughlett twins, who helped kill off the last moments of regulation.

At the beginning of the first overtime period, Salisbury had a pair of scoring opportunities, but CNU never relented. On the first rush, a Sea Gull wiggled free in pursuit of a long hit up the right sideline. Making up ground, Kelly Via won the footrace while cruising past the attacker to steal possession in the corner.

Moments later, on a sustained spurt by the visitors, Via pushed back against a run along the baseline before Iasiello knocked the ball away from a shooter at the top of the arc. Still battling, Lindsey Loar used every inch of her wingspan to deflect an attempt with an out-stretched swipe along the circle before Mast blocked a blast in traffic on the interior.

Trading runs, Mast lofted a rainbow to Caroline Hughlett, who burst into the offensive zone. Eventually, she found Nuckols screaming towards the right pipe. Looking to put the game on ice, Nuckols uncorked back-to-back attempts from point-blank range, but her first try was stymied by a defender and her second floater was knocked down by the keeper.

Less than a minute later, Courtney Hughlett broke down the entire Salisbury defense on a surge from the left side. The reigning All-American sidestepped a Sea Gull along the 25, outran a second defender, and split two more with a seed towards the right post. Once again, Nuckols was stationed along the pipe, but her deflection just trickled wide.

With time winding down in the first overtime, the hosts earned a corner after Courtney Hughlett was dragged to the ground by a defender in the 70th minute. On the ensuing play, Mast launched a dagger that flew through two Sea Gulls and spun past the keeper, but a fourth defender was able to clean up the threat with a game-saving defensive stop next to the right pipe.

In the second overtime, both squads continued to push forward. Mast brushed aside an early run by the visitors before Nuckols added to her highlight reel in the 77th minute. Following a failed corner by the Captains, Salisbury connected on an outlet pass that led to a breakaway. Starting 10 yards behind the streaker, Nuckols flashed her wheels. In a split second, the All-Region track & field star made up the distance, got in front of the attacker, and poked the ball away at the top of the arc.

Meanwhile, on the other end, CNU continued to attack. Loar saw an early turnaround attempt skip past the post before Courtney Hughlett had three shots stoned by Salisbury's back line. Caroline Hughlett also put two Sea Gulls in the spin cycle while dancing through a crowd on the right side, but her shot was blocked as well.

Entering the final 30 seconds of overtime, the visitors orchestrated one last rally, but Nuckols tormented an attacker with relentless pressure in the left corner. Sticking to the Sea Gull, she never gave an inch before forcing an errant pass, which flipped possession with 18 seconds left on the clock.

Grabbing the ball at the top of the arc, Mast slipped a feed to Iasiello, who collected the roller at the defensive 25 with 13 ticks remaining on the scoreboard. Still sprinting in the 80th minute of a marathon battle, the junior ran right past a Salisbury midfielder while generating a 2-on-2 breakaway alongside Caroline Hughlett.

Pushing towards the right corner, Iasiello cleared the entire field in 10 seconds before throwing on the brakes, pulling up, and splitting the wickets of a Sea Gull with a pinpoint pass. On the receiving end, Hughlett collected the spinner, avoided a diving defender, and pasted a dart inside the left corner of the cage with 0.1 seconds left on the clock to lock up the thrilling 2-1 victory.

Putting a perfect punctuation mark on the festivities, fans, alumni, and fellow student-athletes quickly swarmed the field to celebrate alongside the conquering heroes while capping off the action-packed evening.

Long before Hughlett drove home the final nail, Christopher Newport put on a defensive clinic throughout regulation. In the opening period, Kerr made a huge save on a dangerous bouncer that skipped through the circle before Courtney Hughlett blocked a rocket off a corner attempt. Meanwhile, Shealer played through a physical altercation with an attacker near the left edge of the arc before dodging a screamer that sailed past her head.

Then, entering the final moments of the first quarter, Salisbury picked up a corner, but Courtney Hughlett applied pressure to a Sea Gull at the top of the zone, which helped force a shot to spin wide.

Continuing the defensive work in the second stanza, Via picked off a crosser during a shorthanded situation in the 17th minute before Shealer intercepted a similar feed deeper in the circle. After returning to full strength, Courtney Hughlett stripped an attacker and spun around a scrum while clearing the zone.

Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Kate Engle had a tracer kicked away by the keeper. Eventually, her pressure led to a corner, but Mast's missile was blocked by a defender, which kept the game scoreless entering halftime.

Picking up the pace after the break, Iasiello scampered up the right sideline and smashed a seed into the circle. The ball clanked off a defender's stick and spiraled towards the left side, but Evans just missed collecting the deflection. Moments later, Loar had another turnaround attempt walled off by a Sea Gull, while Gigi Stephan saw a redirect spin past the left post. Then, Brylee Johnston fought for positioning among a horde of defenders on the interior, but a feed from Mast could not quite cut through the crowd.

Following the offensive surge, Christopher Newport continued its starring role on the back end. Via broke up a 2-on-1 rush in the middle of the period after sprinting past both attackers to collect a long hit in the middle of the circle. Later, in the 44th minute, Gibson perfectly handled a high-hopper in traffic. Playing in the shadow of two attackers on the doorstep of the cage, she grabbed possession and flipped it to Caroline Hughlett, who ran out the rest of the period.

In the fourth frame, Kerr put on an early showcase. After a lengthy pass cut through the defense, a Sea Gull secured a one-on-one situation. Standing tall, Kerr punted an initial deflection near the left post. Although the attacker regained control, the All-American goalie kicked away a pair of follow-up shots to help end the threat.

After flipping the field, CNU earned another corner in the 49th minute, but Caroline Hughlett's shot was knocked down by a defender. Keeping the pressure on, Gibson intercepted a clear attempt near the left boundary and twisted through four midfielders before finding Hailey Ward in the corner. Eventually, the pressure resulted in a pair of blasts by Nuckols and Courtney Hughlett, but Salisbury swallowed both tries.

Still marching forward, the hosts secured an additional corner in the 56th minute, which led to Mast's go-ahead goal. Although Salisbury found an answer and forced overtime, Christopher Newport had more left in the tank to survive the 80-minute marathon and come away with the hard-fought victory.

Overall, CNU held a 23-10 advantage in shots, including a 14-1 edge during the two extra sessions. The Captains also led the way in corners, 9-3.

Christopher Newport will return to action on Sunday at noon when the squad travels to No. 11 Williams for another nationally-ranked test in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

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