HOBOKEN, N.J. -- In a battle featuring two of the last remaining undefeated programs in the nation, the second-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team came out on top as the Captains pieced together a come-from-behind victory to knock off No. 10 Stevens, 2-1, during a 60-minute thriller on Sunday at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.

Trailing by one late in the third quarter, CNU stormed back as Emily Evans landed the equalizer before Kelly Via punctuated the festivities with the game-winning dart in the 57th minute. The second-half rally was aided by another sensational defensive performance, which saw the Captains hold Stevens to just five total shots, including only a single off-target attempt in the fourth quarter.

Via's late-game heroics continued a remarkable run for the second-year star. Sunday's performance marked the third straight contest in which she sank the clinching blow after previously icing victories against Messiah on September 20 and Montclair State on September 27. With that run, she became just the fifth Captain to score the game-winner in three consecutive contests, joining CNU Hall of Famer Wendy Wilson, longtime legend Anne Gehring, former All-American Abby Asuncion, and current teammate Emily Evans, who produced an equally prodigious streak earlier this year from September 7 through September 13.

Meanwhile, with her assist on Via's strike, Courtney Hughlett registered her 24th career helper. That moved her past former All-American Courtney Fiest for the third-most in school history.

In addition to her work on the offensive end, Hughlett also blocked a shot on a corner attempt in the second quarter, while Lily Kerr made a game-saving stop on a dangerous rally at the end of the third period. For her performance, Kerr picked up her 54th career victory, tying fellow All-American Bailey Lien for the most in program lore.

With the win, Christopher Newport improved to 9-0 on the season, while the setback dropped Stevens to 8-1.

After the Ducks stole a lead in the 24th minute following a successful penalty corner, the visitors regrouped. Staring at a deficit for the first time since August, Christopher Newport tried to rally at the end of the first half. In the 26th minute, Lindsey Loar handcuffed a defender with a laser from the left side, which earned a corner. On the ensuing play, Caroline Hughlett smashed a screamer from the top of the circle, but her shot was punted by the keeper.

Shortly thereafter, Loar came back again and weaved through traffic before pumping a one-timer from the right side, but Stevens blocked the rip before it spun towards the cage. Then, in the final minute, Morgan Shealer swiped possession along the right sideline and threaded a long hit into the circle. With the defense on its heels, Kate Engle deflected the ball to Riley Iasiello, who lined a seed that went spiraling towards the right corner of the cage. Unfortunately, the shot was handled at the last minute as the Ducks took advantage of a diving save to keep their lead entering halftime.

Following the break, the Captains were hit with an early card but quickly shook off the shorthanded situation. Dominating during the 10-on-11 period, Caroline Hughlett knocked a dangerous roller out of the circle before intercepting a pass while pinned to the right sideline. Then, after returning to full strength, Courtney Hughlett deflected a dart off a corner attempt before Brylee Johnston handed the ball back to the attack after clearing it up the left boundary.

Looking to capitalize on the other end, Iasiello was relentless on the interior. Battling in tight quarters, she helped generate a series of corners after spinning the ball off a pair of defenders. On the second try in the 44th minute, Shealer recovered a rebound and pounded away from the left side. Although the Ducks held up against the initial onslaught, the Captains collected a third consecutive corner.

After resetting, Ellie Nuckols inserted the ball to Via, who rifled two shots, including one that bounced off the keeper. Hauling in the rebound, Loar launched it back at the cage. As the ball skipped through a crowd, Iasiello fought for positioning on the doorstep. Eventually, she corralled the roller and popped it back to Evans, who slipped a scorcher between two defenders and the right pipe for the game-tying tally.

Looking to counter in the final moments of the third quarter, Stevens earned its own corner on the opposite end. Stepping up against the pressure, Kerr went down to the turf to save a low bullet. With the ball still alive, Kendall Gibson punched it away from a pair of Ducks before Courtney Hughlett wiggled through traffic, grabbed the spinner, and marched out along the left baseline to kill off the period.

Entering the final stanza, Christopher Newport went to work on the offensive side. During the first five minutes, the visitors generated three corners, but Stevens kept a tight lid on the CNU attack. Later, Loar burst free on a sprint down the center of the field, but she was tackled by the goalie before any damage could be done.

Meanwhile, on the opposite end, the Captains never let the hosts find their rhythm. Playing shorthanded after getting hit with another card, Nuckols immediately intercepted the restart before teaming with Shealer on a blockade near the 25. Then, Gibson showed off her speed while outrunning a midfielder for a ball near the center stripe as CNU returned to 11-on-11 action.

Entering the 57th minute, Mast picked off a pass on the offensive end, split two defenders, and barreled into the circle. On the move, she pulled up and slammed a shot off the foot of a Duck to collect a corner.

Looking to capitalize, Nuckols inserted the ball to Mast, who flipped it back to Courtney Hughlett. With some room to work, Hughlett lifted a dagger towards the center of the circle. Perfectly positioned, Via raised her stick and redirected the rocket between the goalie and a defender for the go-ahead strike.

With their first lead of the game and the clock on their side, the Captains settled in and tried to run off the final three minutes. Off the restart, Iasiello immediately stole possession before Mast threw the brakes on another run along the right sideline. Moments later, Courtney Hughlett slipped through a pair of Ducks and grabbed the ball near the 25 before Mast came back and thwarted a separate rush along the right edge of the arc.

Although the hosts managed to earn another corner in the 58th minute, Nuckols and Courtney Hughlett applied immediate pressure at the top of the arc to stymie the threat. Then, Hughlett and Loar worked their way into the right corner and helped dribble off the final few ticks to ice the comeback win. 

Overall, CNU held a 19-5 advantage in shots and a 10-5 lead in corners.

Long before the offensive outburst at the end of the game, the defense took center stage in the first quarter as CNU clamped down on the high-powered Stevens attack. On an initial rush by the hosts, Nuckols picked off a crosser at the top of the arc before Shealer knocked down an aerial in the left corner. Moments later, Mast intercepted a pair of feeds along the opposite boundary before floating a pass to Iasiello, who cleared the back end.

Shortly thereafter, Stevens returned to the offensive side, but Shealer stonewalled a push near the left sideline after dropping to a knee while stripping an attacker. Then, Evans won a race for a loose ball near midfield before Loar spun through traffic and fired a missile that just cruised past the right pipe.

Keeping possession in the waning moments of the first period, Iasiello curled underneath a defender along the left baseline, but her ensuing run was silenced on the doorstep. Later, she came back with a turnaround attempt at the top of the zone, but Stevens handled it again.

In the second stanza, the Ducks went back on the attack. After an initial push by CNU, Stevens unleashed a counterstrike with numbers on their side. Racing back on the defensive end, Via knocked away a pass near the left sideline before Courtney Hughlett caught up to the play and stuck to the hip of an attacker as reinforcements arrived. Later, Caroline Hughlett poked away a pass along the right edge of the circle, but the hosts continued to march forward.

Eventually, in the middle of the period, Stevens picked up two straight corners and capitalized on the second attempt to steal a 1-0 lead. That goal ended CNU's shutout streak at just under 417 consecutive minutes, marking the second-longest run in program history.

Despite the stumble, Christopher Newport never backed down and landed a pair of punches in the second half to complete the comeback.

With the win, the Captains wrapped up the weekend as one of just three undefeated teams in the country, joining No. 7 Bates and No. 20 Dickinson.

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