POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – After being down 2-0 to visiting Christopher Newport, the No. 5 Vassar field hockey team rallied to force overtime on Monday evening. It was the Captains pulling off the 3-2 victory though, scoring 1:37 into the extra period. Vassar now slips to 10-2 overall, while the Captains move to 9-3.

Christopher Newport scored twice in the half to take a 2-0 lead. Late in the first quarter, Nyla Lewis took the ball off a penalty corner and made the shot attempt. Teammate Jackie Kotoriy then redirected the shot before the Brewers could react for the opening score. The Captains opened the second quarter with another penalty corner goal. Sarah Mueller took the initial pass and dished it off to Bailey Miller, who was able to chip the ball in.

Shots were not in Vassar's favor in the third, with the visitors holding a 5-1 advantage. The Brewers' defense buckled up when freshman goalkeeper Jules Smith (Mullica Hill, NJ) deflected three shots in the final two minutes of the quarter.

The strong backline carried over to the Vassar offense in the fourth. At 45:51, Stephanie Palma (Manhasset, NY) inserted the penalty corner to Ryle Pope (San Diego, CA) at the top of the arc. Using her trademark shot, Pope fired the shot through the Christopher Newport defense and into the back of the net. Five minutes later Sam Plante (Watertown, MA) found herself alone on the right side of the Captains' circle. She flicked the ball over the goalkeeper and into the right corner to tie the game 2-2.

Only one shot was taken in overtime and it went Christopher Newport's way. Mauri Ware inserted the penalty corner to Miller, who scored right away.
In goal, Smith tallied a career-high 13 assists, while Olivia Davis had six for the Captains. Three Brewers in Lopez, Ally Aquilina-Piscitello (Lexington, MA), and Natalie Johnston (Trappe, PA) each recorded a defensive save as well.

Vassar is back in action on Friday, Oct. 18 to host William Smith at 4 p.m.