Bridgewater, Va – Bridgewater College’s field hockey team falls 0-1 after being shut out by Christopher Newport University on Wednesday, Sept. 1. The Eagles fail to score, while multiple Captains shine in the 2021 season opener. 

Markings on the Eagles stat sheet were scarce, while the Captains had three players with multiple goals to begin the season. 

Senior Mauri Ware, first-year Katie Abendschoen, and junior Abby Asuncion scored two goals apiece while first-year Maddison Steele and junior Emma Logue added goals of their own. The only stats to appear for the Eagles was a shot by junior Taylor Woods and two dangerous shots, one by senior Claire Ashley and the other by first-year Erin Dameron. 

The game’s first goal came right before the midway point of the first quarter when Ware scored to give the Captains the early 1-0 lead over the Eagles. Ware was able to land another goal just three minutes and ten seconds later to extend the Captains lead to 2-0. 

The second quarter saw a much more lively offensive attack by the Captains when Asuncion tallied two of her own goals early in the quarter. 

A speedy and aggressive Captain’s defense refused to allow a single goal by the Eagles heading into halftime, while CNU’s Abendschoen added the fifth goal and Logue managed to score with just 33 seconds before halftime to extend the Captains lead to 6-0. 

The second half of the game slowed its pace as only two goals were scored all together. The first happened just over three minutes into the second half when Pope was able to add her first goal of the day. The Captains nearly added another goal as the third-quarter buzzer sounded, but Asuncion’s shot was too late and was far wide. 

The eighth and final goal of the game came midway through the fourth quarter, when Abendschoen added her second goal of the day with 6:21 left in the ball game. 

Throughout the entirety of the game, the Captains suffocated any offense the Eagles tried to put together, with a majority of the game being played on the Eagles half of the field. The Captains spent most of the game on the offensive attack, rarely ever defending their goal as the Eagles struggled to get the ball onto the Captains side of the field.  

The Eagles begin their 2021 season coming off of a below average season last year, which saw them finish with a 4-6 record. The Eagles look to rebound when they host No. 3 John Hopkins on Saturday, Sept. 4.