VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The Christopher Newport University women's soccer team will start its 2012 regular season slate this weekend, as they play part in the Marlins Classic on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan College. The Captains will face Eastern University at 3:00 pm on Saturday and will back it up with a 4:00 pm tilt on Sunday against Rutgers-Newark.

CNU is coming off an 11-8-1 season in 2011, reaching the USA South Championship game for the fourth straight year under head coach Ruth Keegan. The Captains have gone an impressive 53-28-6 under Keegan's tutelage and are set to start another campaign on Saturday.

Leading the returning offense are junior Emma O'Reilly and senior Dani Gunderson. The two combined for 13 goals and 33 points last season as two of the top three leading scorers on the squad. Junior Carly Utterback also chipped in 10 points with three goals and four assists.

Defensively, CNU expects to be very strong up the middle, with junior Alexis Stahlman leading the way as the sweeper and senior goalkeeper Meghan Gumbs back between the pipes. 

Eastern University is coming off an impressive campaign in 2011, winning 13 games and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles were turned away on penalty kicks in the first round, but finished the year 13-5-3. Senior forward Kelsey Doutrich is back for her final season after scoring 39 points with 17 goals and five assists last year. 

Live stats will be available of the weekend's games at CNUsports.com. Kick-off is set for 3:00 pm.