FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- After helping lead the Christopher Newport field hockey team to a pair of shutouts last week, Marcella Sabbagh has been celebrated as the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

The weekly award is the fourth of Sabbagh's decorated career after she was previously celebrated once in 2019 and twice in 2021. That total equals the most defensive awards by a field player in program history, matching the haul amassed by former All-American Brittan Muir from 2015-18. 

Overall, Sabbagh's four Defensive Player of the Week honors stand as the second-highest total by any Captain, trailing only legendary goalie Bailey Lien's five citations from 2013-16.

Anchoring the defensive unit during Christopher Newport's two games last week, Sabbagh helped the squad hold its opposition scoreless for a combined 120 minutes of action. The team opened the stretch with a 1-0 victory at Catholic on Wednesday before blanking Wilson, 4-0, on Saturday.

In her first outing of the week, Sabbagh starred against the Cardinals. During the first half, she helped hold Catholic without a single shot, including a nice interception along the defensive 25 to stamp out a second-quarter surge. Then, over the final 30 minutes, she anchored the penalty corner defense, which brushed aside all six CUA attempts.

On an individual level, she broke up a corner along the right side of the zone early in the third quarter before blocking a shot near the post later in the period.

On Saturday, Sabbagh came back with another suffocating performance at Wilson. Against the Phoenix, the Captains did not allow a single shot or corner during a 60-minute masterpiece. That marked just the seventh time in school history that Christopher Newport held an opponent without a shot or corner during an entire game.

Headlining her work during the shutout, Sabbagh broke up a Wilson rally in the second quarter with an interception in the left corner. After halftime, she also won a footrace for a long pass that nearly led to a 3-on-2 breakaway by the Phoenix.

So far this season, Sabbagh ranks second on the squad with 531 minutes of action. In addition to her work on the back end, the Lewes, Delaware native has also contributed eight points, including three goals.

During her time with the Captains, Sabbagh is a two-time All-Conference and All-State performer. In 45 career games, she sits third in school history with 12 defensive saves, while her 15 assists rank 11th all-time. Additionally, she has seven penalty stroke goals, which stands first on the career charts.

Sabbagh and the rest of her teammates will return to action on Friday at 5 p.m. when the Captains host Shenandoah at Jennings Family Stadium.

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