The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy field hockey team has been enjoying a solid year, and it continued the trend on Tuesday at Hampton Roads Academy.

The Lady Saints pulled off a 3-2 come-from-behind victory on the game’s final play to begin their official schedule in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools.

“I was thrilled with their overall effort,” NSA coach Ashley Skinner said. “We really pulled together as a team and used different passing combinations. We carried the ball and released the ball when we needed to.”

Nansemond-Suffolk sophomore Paige Christiansen has come on particularly strong offensively after Skinner moved some players to different positions. Christiansen scored all three of the Lady Saints’ goals on Tuesday.

The Lady Navigators took an early lead less than 10 minutes into the game, but Christiansen evened the score on a penalty stroke with 17:12 to go in the half. HRA moved back ahead a little over four minutes later.

But Nansemond-Suffolk was able to claim the win, in part, because it utilized its strengths.

Skinner said the Lady Saints’ strengths include working together and starting passing combinations from the defensive end, allowing players to come down the field strongly and enter the opposing team’s circle confidently.

Christiansen scored with 22:15 remaining in the game off an assist from freshman Morgan Morrell, and her final goal came with all zeroes on the clock.

NSA had earned a penalty corner in the final seconds. Similar to a final play in football, field hockey rules dictate that the play on a penalty corner be allowed to finish, even if time has expired.

Lady Saints senior Jessie Lerner fired off a shot that Christiansen hit into the goal for the win.

The penalty corner was one of 13 that Nansemond-Suffolk earned, while the Lady Navigators produced eight.

NSA senior goalkeeper Madi Glynn registered seven saves, while the HRA goalie had 19.

“We were putting the ball on-cage,” Skinner said.

Citing some other stars in the contest, the coach said, “I really think that Sarah Higinbotham and Jessie Lerner helped us throughout the game, feeding passes up the field and making plays happen.”

As of Friday, Skinner moved Lerner from forward to midfielder in the hopes that she would facilitate plays for the team. The plan has worked well thus far.

Friday marked the first of three games that NSA played as a participant in the Carlisle Classic Field Hockey Tournament, hosted by the Carlisle School in Axton.

“It was very competitive,” Skinner said. “We lost to North Cross (School) and Carlisle, both very competitive teams, and we beat Chatham Hall.”

North Cross won 3-0 on Friday, and Nansemond-Suffolk started Saturday by topping Chatham Hall 2-0, both goals coming from Christiansen.

“I think she’s just a very competitive individual, and she has the will to win and the fight to finish,” Skinner said of her newly prolific goal-scorer.

Carlisle won 4-1, with NSA’s lone goal coming from Morrell, assisted by Lerner.

Nansemond-Suffolk (7-4-1, 1-0) hosts Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School on Friday.