NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – It took more than 90 minutes, but the No. 7 Salisbury University field hockey team battled to a 3-2 double-overtime win at No. 13 Christopher Newport University on Wednesday night in a key Capital Athletic Conference affair.

Salisbury (11-3, 4-1 CAC) had the better end of the statistics throughout regulation time, holding a 20-5 edge in shots and garnering nine penalty-corner opportunities to just four for the Captains (13-3, 5-1 CAC).

In the extra time the chances evened out, but it was senior Sam Johnson who followed junior Becca Rinaca's shot, gathering the rebound and putting it home for the game winner just over five minutes into the second period.

The score is the eighth of the season for Johnson and her second game winner.

The teams traded shots in the first half, with each team finding the back of the cage twice. The Captains struck first when Lisa Murphy put home the game's opening goal, just 11:22 into the contest, snapping in a hard shot from five yards off the end line thanks to an assist from Cori Black.

The Sea Gulls answered six minutes later when junior Hannah Miller got one past Christopher Newport goalkeeper Bailey Lien for the equalizer, her third of the season.

The 1-1 score stood for 10 minutes, but Salisbury would grab the lead when the Sea Gulls got off three shots in a 19-second span. Senior Courtney Jantzen was denied by Lien before Miller's attempt was kept out on Brittan Muir's defensive save, but a CNU foul led to a Sea Gull penalty stroke. Junior Annah Brittingham stepped to the spot and fired home her sixth marker of the year for the 2-1 lead.

Black set up the Captains' second goal of the half with no time left on the clock as Christopher Newport earned a penalty corner just before the horn. Black threaded a pass to Lauren Cheatham who tapped the ball in the cage, drawing the game even at 2-2 heading to halftime.

Neither team could net the deciding goal in the second half or first overtime period, and the Captains nearly struck in the 87th minute when Josie Morgan was able to get a shot past Salisbury goalkeeper Tressie Windsor. But senior back Amanda Cooper held the line, notching her third defensive save of the year to keep the game alive and setting up Johnson's heroics.

Lien turned away 13 shots for the Captains while Windsor stopped four offerings to earn her 11th win of the year.

With the win, the Sea Gulls have secured a first-round bye in next week's CAC tournament. The Sea Gulls close out the regular season on Friday afternoon, hosting Frostburg State University at 2 p.m. With a win against the Bobcats, Salisbury secures the No. 2 seed in the CAC field and a home game in the semifinal round on Wednesday, November 4.