NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Adding her name to the history books,
Lindsey Loar collected her fourth career hat-trick while leading the top-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team to a 7-0 victory over New Paltz on a cloud-covered Saturday afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium.
Lighting up the opposition, Loar kicked off her afternoon with a dart in the 25th minute before adding a pair of strikes in the fourth quarter. With that eruption, she became just the third Captain in school history to record four career hat-tricks, joining CNU Hall of Famer Wendy Wilson and longtime legend Abby Asuncion.
Along with Loar, sophomore
Emma Weber pieced together an offensive clinic. Orchestrating the finest performance of her young tenure, the second-year star opened the scoring just seven minutes into regulation. Later, she assisted on a pair of tallies while matching her career-high with four total points.
Rounding out the high-volume scorers,
Caroline Hughlett pitched in with five points, including two goals. With that effort, she became just the 10th Captain to eclipse 80 career points. The reigning All-American now has 81 total points, which ranks ninth on the school's all-time scoring list.
Among other standouts,
Riley Iasiello drove home her second goal of the season, while
Ellen Gallagher,
Courtney Hughlett, and
Avery Mast added assists.
In addition to the offensive stars, Christopher Newport was equally masterful on the defensive side. The Captains did not allow a single shot during the 60-minute masterpiece. It was the first time CNU held a team without a shot since blanking Centre on October 5, 2024. Meanwhile, it was just the seventh time in the last decade that the squad completely silenced an opponent.
With the victory, Christopher Newport improved to 4-0 on the season, while the setback dropped New Paltz to 1-2.
Getting off to a solid start, CNU immediately went on the attack. Although the visitors held up against the first wave, the Captains continued to march forward. Eventually, in the seventh minute,
Caroline Hughlett chipped the ball around a defender in the right corner before blasting a shot on cage. Although the goalie made a diving save to stone the initial attempt, Hughlett stuck with the play.
Scooting inside, Hughlett collected her own deflection, spun past two Hawks, and laced a seed through the circle. On the opposite side, Weber redirected the pass along the left post to hand the hosts a quick 1-0 advantage.
Looking to respond, New Paltz went on the attack, but Christopher Newport threw up roadblocks all over the field. During a lengthy incursion by the Hawks,
Courtney Hughlett bottled up a rush near the 25 before Gallagher won a race for a long hit into the right corner. Later,
Kendall Gibson and
Isabel Tamayo prevented clears near the left sideline, while Hughlett came back to rob a midfielder with a fancy strip along the center stripe.
After thwarting New Paltz's advances, CNU went back to work on the offensive side. In the 13th minute,
Caroline Hughlett sliced through a crowd and drew a foul inside the circle to earn a corner. Taking advantage, Weber inserted the ball to
Courtney Hughlett, who saw immediate pressure at the top of the circle. In a flash, the senior avoided the flyer and handed possession to her sister, who lined a worm-burner past three defenders and the goalie for her first strike of the contest.
Staring at a quick 2-0 hole, the Hawks tried to retaliate at the end of the opening period, but the Captains were unimpressed.
Courtney Hughlett intercepted a pass on the Hawks' ensuing rush before
Hailey Ward jumped in front of an attacker and stole a long hit on the defensive end. Then, in the waning moments of the stanza, Hughlett picked the pockets of a midfielder to silence the final rally of the quarter.
In the second frame, Christopher Newport dominated possession and slapped a pair of goals on the scoreboard. In the 21st minute,
Gigi Stephan kicked off a successful corner. After Stephan's pinpoint insert,
Caroline Hughlett broke out a behind-the-back feed to Mast, who whistled a one-timer towards the cage.
On the interior, Iasiello was perfectly positioned between the goalie and a defender. As the missile approached her, she leaped over the ball to avoid a foot foul before redirecting it in mid-air, which caused it to spin past the defender and land in the back of the cage.
Less than three minutes later, Mast gobbled up a failed clear before launching a liner to Weber, who was situated in the circle with two defenders on her back. After securing the pass in tight quarters, the sophomore flipped the ball to Loar, who cut behind the scrum and drained her first goal from close range.Â
Holding a 4-0 lead, Christopher Newport made sure to stymie a few last-ditch rallies by New Paltz before the end of the first half. Headlining the work on the back end,
Calli Martin broke up a long pass along the center stripe, which prevented a fast-break from developing. Then, Gallagher wrestled possession away in traffic before grabbing a roller in the right corner to close out the second period.
In the third quarter, CNU added a fast goal in the 34th minute. Following her work at the end of the first half, Gallagher continued to shine after the break. The freshman made a lunging stop to pick off a pass at the offensive 25. Working quickly, she tossed the ball to
Caroline Hughlett, who rolled through two defenders before uncorking a rip from the right side, which handed the hosts a 5-0 edge.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Christopher Newport never let New Paltz find a rhythm.
Kearney Cunningham pressured the Hawks into an errant pass on a surge in the 37th minute before
Kelly Via outran an attacker to secure a spinner along the right sideline. Later,
Morgan Shealer cleared the zone after sidestepping a defender along the opposite boundary, while
Willow Yost bullied her way through a pair of Hawks to keep possession in the right corner. Then, Weber stood tall and showed tremendous hands to snatch a line-drive aerial that was dangerously close to her face.
With time winding down in the third quarter, the Hawks worked their way into the circle, but Via disrupted a crosser on the doorstep, while Gallagher punched one away along the arc. Then, on the final push by the visitors, Tamayo ripped the ball away at midfield to run out the final few seconds.
In the fourth stanza, CNU added two final offensive highlights. Early on, Via gained control, sliced through a crowd, and launched a screamer, which was snuffed out by New Paltz's keeper. However, Weber saved the rebound and shuffled it to Loar, who uncorked a blast near the right post to secure a 6-0 lead.
Later, the senior All-American polished off her day in the 57th minute. With a hat-trick in her sights, Loar was on a mission. Putting on a show, she scampered in front of a midfielder to steal a pass before chipping the ball around a defender. With one more player to beat, she cut around a third Hawk, stepped across the circle, and unleashed a laser that bounced off the stick of a fourth defender and landed in the cage for her third goal of the contest.
With more than enough cushion, the defense closed out the game in style. Early in the fourth quarter,
Mari de Castro stole the ball from a Hawk on a restart,
Ellie Kidd grabbed one along the 25, and
Maddy Gagnon disrupted two clear attempts in the right corner. Then,
Ella Elliott won possession of a long hit near the sideline before
Ellie Nuckols danced through three Hawks on an acrobatic clear attempt, which gave the defense a little breather.
Refusing to go down quietly, New Paltz tried to end the shutout later in the period while piecing together a dangerous surge. However, Ward busted back to the baseline to deflect a pass before Mast picked off a feed in the center of the circle. Then, on a secondary surge, Mast came back with a slick tackle at the edge of the arc to ice the 7-0 win.
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 51-0 advantage in shots and a 14-0 lead in corners. Meanwhile, between the pipes,
Ella Fallen picked up the victory with pristine work over the first 30 minutes before
Anna Mosciano closed out the festivities with a spotless second half.
CNU will return to action on September 19 when the Captains host No. 9 Messiah at 1 p.m.
---ISH---
