NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the third straight year, the third-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team earned a spot in the Elite Eight as the Captains overcame a third-quarter deficit with a lethal second-half surge on the way to a 3-1 triumph over No. 13 Ursinus during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on a windy Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.
Trailing for the first time in a game all season, CNU showed a steely resolve and overcame the late deficit with a remarkable rally. Just before the end of the third quarter,
Emma Weber landed the equalizer off a feed from
Caroline Hughlett in the 43rd minute. Then, in the fourth frame,
Kelly Via and
Calli Martin connected on back-to-back blows during a rapid-fire assault in the 51st minute.
In fact, their goals came just 26 seconds apart, matching the fifth-shortest span between strikes in program history.
With her dagger, Martin became just the third freshman in school lore to score a goal in the NCAA Tournament. She joined current teammate
Avery Mast, who struck twice against St. Mary's (Md.) on November 13, 2024, and former standout Jackie Kotoriy, who sank a blow against Kean on November 11, 2017.
Meanwhile,
Caroline Hughlett added a little history of her own. With her assist on Weber's game-tying tracer, she became only the sixth player in program history to register at least 10 goals and 10 helpers in a single campaign. In that exclusive club, she joined CNU Hall of Famers Wendy Wilson and Belle Tunstall as well as longtime standouts Abby Asuncion, Haylie Black, and Diana Golden.
On the other side of the field, Christopher Newport limited Ursinus to only two shots, equaling the Bears' lowest output in a game since they were completely silenced by Franklin & Marshall on November 8, 2019.
With the win, CNU improved to 15-1 on the season, while the setback dropped Ursinus to 15-6. The Captains will return to action on Sunday at 1 p.m. with a showdown against No. 12 York (Pa.), who advanced to the Elite Eight with a 4-0 triumph over Penn State Harrisburg.
Sunday's victor will earn a spot in the Final Four, which will take place on November 20 at McCooey Field in Geneva, New York.
After Ursinus opened the scoring off a penalty corner in the 35th minute, the Captains found themselves in an unfamiliar position. Remarkably, it was the very first time all year that the team trailed in a game, because the squad's lone loss came on a sudden-death golden goal in overtime against Middlebury, which immediately ended that contest on September 27.
Incidentally, that goal against Middlebury was also the last time an opponent scored against the Captains as they stretched their shutout streak to 454 consecutive minutes before Ursinus broke the seal in the third quarter.
Unfazed by the deficit, Christopher Newport never let the visitors build on their momentum. Although they played shorthanded after getting hit with a card following the goal, the hosts never relented. Martin intercepted a failed clear along the 25 and picked off an errant feed near the center stripe to thwart back-to-back runs by the Bears.
Later, after returning to full strength, Via stole an aerial at midfield and knocked down a rocket in the center of the circle. Shortly thereafter, Ursinus fired a dart from the top of the zone, but
Ella Fallen made a sliding save near the left post to kill the threat.
Then, in the 42nd minute, a Bear nearly slipped free on a breakaway after tipping a pass around Via, but the junior defender played it perfectly. She prevented the attacker from regaining possession as she boxed out her opponent along the right sideline before grabbing the roller and tossing it back to the attack.
Looking to capitalize, Christopher Newport found an opening just over a minute later. On the play,
Courtney Hughlett snagged a bouncer as two defenders closed ranks around her. With little room to work, she punched a rocket into the circle, which deflected off a Bear's stick and dropped right at her sister's feet.
Working quickly,
Caroline Hughlett split two defenders at the top of the arc and popped a pass to Weber, who was stationed in the left corner of the zone. Without hesitating, the sophomore unloaded a screaming one-timer that cut across the circle, evaded the keeper, and landed inside the right post for the game-tying tally.
With the score knotted at one, Christopher Newport kept a tight lid on Ursinus during the remaining moments of the third quarter. Weber and
Ellie Nuckols built a blockade at midfield and stonewalled two straight runs. Although the Bears eventually slipped down the field,
Gigi Stephan stole the ball inside the circle before
Kendall Gibson knocked down a crosser in the right corner to end the period.
In the final stanza,
Courtney Hughlett blanketed the turf. She broke up an initial rush near midfield, swiped another ball in the left corner, and came through with a third interception along the right edge of the arc. Meanwhile, Martin knocked the ball away from an attacker at the top of the zone, while Via pushed back against a surge in the right corner.
After clearing the back end, the hosts notched a corner in the 51st minute. On the play,
Courtney Hughlett collected a tap from Mast, cut around the flyer, and fed the ball to Nuckols near the right post. After settling the pass, Nuckols threaded the ball between three Bears. On the receiving end, Via secured the feed and rifled a high-rising rocket through the defense for the go-ahead blast.
Off the restart, Mast immediately gained possession on the defensive end, spun through two Bears along the left sideline, and hammered a 20-yard seed to Martin. At the 25, the freshman curled around another defender while marching towards the circle.
Inside the arc,
Lindsey Loar drew the attention of a second Bear, who backpedaled to prevent a pass. With a little extra space, Martin simply took care of the rest by herself. The first-year phenom loaded up and snapped off a scorcher that landed in the bottom right corner of the cage for a 3-1 advantage.
Staring at a two-goal hole, Ursinus tried to respond, but Christopher Newport held firm. Following the goal,
Maddy Gagnon broke up a pass at midfield and forced an off-kilter aerial to sail wildly down the turf. Then, Via snagged a feed at the top of the circle, while Mast disrupted a rush along the right sideline.
Entering the final minutes of regulation,
Courtney Hughlett wrestled possession away from a Bear near the arc, while Stephan made a great play to slow down a long hit that nearly spurred a breakaway. Later, Mast and Via sealed off the right side of the zone during a lengthy run by an attacker before Hughlett put on a clinic in the final minute.
After stealing the ball from the Bears near the 25, she went straight to the corner and put her stick skills on full display. For 23 seconds, the first-team All-American dipped, dodged, and darted her way through three defenders while holding possession under duress in the left corner. Finally, a fourth Bear joined the fray and was able to pry the ball loose, but it was too little, too late as the horn eventually sounded.
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 25-2 advantage in shots and an 8-1 lead in corners.
Long before the two teams combined for four goals in the second half, the first 30 minutes was a defensive clinic. Early on, Ursinus struggled to clear midfield. Mast walled off a rush along the left sideline before Martin stopped another one near the opposite boundary. Later, after the Bears inched their way down the turf, Gibson stoned a rally from the right side before Stephan cleared the threat.
In the middle of the period, a long hit nearly generated a breakaway for the visitors, but Via jumped on her horse, made up ground, ran right past the attacker, and gained possession near the baseline. Then, she ripped the ball right off the stick of another Bear during a one-on-one showdown at the tail end of the quarter.
In the second stanza, CNU nearly broke through with an eruption off a corner in the 19th minute.
Courtney Hughlett had an initial blast knocked down by the keeper before Via hauled in the rebound. With a second-chance opportunity, the junior crushed a shot from the interior, but the goalie was able to swallow that attempt as well.
Still applying pressure, the Captains picked up three more corners over the next minute of action, but on-target ropes by Mast and the Hughlett twins were all turned aside.
After standing up against the onslaught, Ursinus tried to flip the field, but Christopher Newport was ready. Stephan stole a pass just outside of the circle before Mast snatched the ball off the stick of a midfielder after running stride-for-stride with her in the center of the turf. Then, in the waning moments of the first half, Via raced across the field and knocked a pass away from a streaker near the left sideline, while Webber,
Ellen Gallagher, and
Riley Iasiello helped stop a series of clear attempts to keep the game scoreless entering the break.
Although the visitors were finally able to open the scoring in the second half, CNU had the last laugh as the squad strung together three unanswered goals to walk away with the come-from-behind victory.
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