BEVERLY, Mass. -- Putting the finishing touches on a perfect road trip, the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team knocked off No. 10 Endicott, 3-1, during another top-10 clash on Monday afternoon at the North Field in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Headlining an early assault,
Avery Mast kicked off the scoring just two minutes into regulation before
Lindsey Loar broke a 1-1 tie with a go-ahead blast later in the opening stanza. Then, after fostering a one-goal lead for the remainder of the first half,
Caroline Hughlett added the final blow in the 40th minute to lock up the win.
With her dagger, Loar added her name to the record books. The senior's first-quarter strike was her fifth career game-winning goal against a nationally-ranked opponent. That moved her past
Caroline Hughlett and current assistant coach
Marlene Lichty for the most in program history. Hughlett posted her fourth last fall against No. 3 Salisbury, while Lichty amassed four of her own during a Hall of Fame career from 2010-13.
Along with the offensive standouts, Christopher Newport orchestrated another defensive clinic. The Captains surrendered just three total shots against Endicott, which marked the lowest single-game output by the Gulls since they mustered only a pair against No. 1 Middlebury on November 13, 2021.
With the victory, CNU improved to 3-0 on the season, while Endicott dropped to 1-2. The win also capped off a remarkable road trip by the Captains. Along with the triumph over the Gulls, Christopher Newport knocked off No. 3 Babson, 6-1, on Saturday, marking the first time in program history that the squad defeated top-10 opponents in back-to-back games.
From the very beginning, the visitors took control. In the first two minutes of regulation, CNU unloaded four shots and generated three corners. On their final attempt of the surge, the Captains broke through.
Ellie Nuckols inserted the ball to Mast, who took possession at the top of the arc. With the defense in hot pursuit, the junior beat the pressure with an absolute nuke that sailed past three Gulls before splitting the wickets of the keeper for a 1-0 lead.
Although Endicott retaliated just 20 seconds later and evened the score at one, the visitors came roaring back. On a restart from the 25,
Courtney Hughlett put on a show. The senior All-American spun around an initial defender before sliding through two more at the edge of the circle. After racing past a fourth Gull, she hit the brakes and uncorked a no-look feed to Loar, who was stationed near the right post.
With a little more work to do, Loar backed down a defender, rolled to her right, and plastered a dart into the cage for a 2-1 advantage.
Hoping to continue the seesaw affair, the hosts went back on the attack, but CNU was ready on the defensive end.
Calli Martin cut off a surge along the baseline before
Kendall Gibson intercepted an aerial. Shortly thereafter, the Gulls picked up a corner, but Nuckols applied tight pressure to a shooter in the left wing, which caused a misfire that flipped possession.
Later in the period,
Kelly Via flashed her wheels during a dangerous rally. With a 2-on-1 break developing for Endicott, the junior made up ground, caught up to a streaker in the right alley, and disrupted the play long enough for reinforcements to arrive on the scene.
After clearing the defensive end, CNU built a wall in the center of the turf.
Courtney Hughlett intercepted a pass near midfield before
Gigi Stephan knocked down an aerial in the same spot. Then, Gibson stole a long hit from a pair of attackers and shrugged off a violent confrontation before Via won a race for a loose ball to help close out the opening stanza.
In the second period, the blockade continued. Gibson plucked a floater out of the air before
Courtney Hughlett stole a pair of passes along the arc. Later, Via deflected a long outlet feed, while
Kate Engle sacrificed her body to stone an elevated rip along the center stripe. Stephan also stayed tight with an attacker inside the circle and forced a low-percentage shot to clank off the side of the cage.
Meanwhile, on the other end, Christopher Newport continued to test Endicott's defense. Martin put a midfielder on skates with a quick juke near the left sideline before
Riley Iasiello found Loar with a crosser. Unfortunately, the ensuing shot just trickled past the right pipe.
Still marching forward,
Ellen Gallagher secured a corner after drawing a foul deep inside the circle before Loar earned a second attempt when she fired a missile off the foot of a Gull. Shortly thereafter, Mast secured a stroke after tattooing the leg of another defender, who was planted in front of the cage. However, the hosts held up against the onslaught and kept their deficit at one entering the break.
In the second half, Endicott had an opportunity to pull even on a corner in the 32nd minute. Holding firm, Nuckols badgered an attacker back to the 25 before
Courtney Hughlett stoned a crosser from the right side of the circle to end the threat.
Minutes later, the hosts picked up another corner but were thwarted again. This time, Mast blocked an initial rip before making a slick tackle from her knees to stymie a second-chance opportunity along the baseline.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the field, Christopher Newport continued searching for a little breathing room.
Caroline Hughlett saw a stepdown snipe spin past the right post before her sister showed off incredible hands. On a corner attempt, Mast hit a screamer that was punted by the goalie, but
Courtney Hughlett plucked the rocket out of the air, played it down to the turf, circled past a defender, and fired her own shot, which was turned away by the keeper at the last second.
Still on the attack, Loar fed a spinner inside to Martin, who was immediately swarmed by three Gulls. Unfazed by the crowd, the freshman managed to earn a corner. On the ensuing play, Via smoked a one-timer that bounced off the sticks of two defenders before the goalie tried to kick it away from the cage. Keeping the play alive,
Caroline Hughlett was positioned perfectly at the top of the circle.
Intercepting the keeper's clear attempt, Hughlett snagged the ball and whipped a worm-burner into the back of the cage for a 3-1 edge entering the fourth quarter.
Although Endicott tried to chip away at CNU's lead in the final frame, the Captains were up to the challenge. Early on, Gibson made a great play to stay on the hip of an attacker inside the circle. Eventually, she slipped around the Gull and broke up a centering feed to win the one-on-one battle.
Later, during another rush by the hosts, Via slowed down a sprinter along the left side of the zone before Gibson gobbled up another pass on the interior.
Continuing the defensive domination,
Hailey Ward redirected a midfielder away from the circle during a showdown in the 50th minute, while
Isabel Tamayo and
Morgan Shealer broke up clear attempts along the right sideline. Stephan also knocked down a liner near the left side of the arc, while
Mari de Castro tracked down a Gull and helped force a turnover with pressure from behind to close out the festivities.
Overall, Christopher Newport held a 28-3 advantage in shots and a 13-4 edge in corners. Meanwhile,
Ella Fallen picked up the victory, marking her third straight triumph against a nationally-ranked foe. Remarkably, her three wins against top-25 teams are now tied for the sixth-most by a goalie in program history. Putting that into perspective, Monday was just Fallen's third career start.
After spending the first week of the 2026 season on the road, CNU will make its home debut on Saturday when the Captains host New Paltz at 11 a.m.
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