Box Score
Box Score in HTML Format
Box Score in PDF Format

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Becoming just the seventh player in CNU women's soccer history to post a hat trick, senior Bupe Okeowo scored all three goals to lead the Captains to a seventh straight win, dispatching the Mary Washington Eagles (8-8-0, 3-4-0), in a 3-0 final. Okeowo scored one in the first half and backed up a stellar performance with two more in the second, as CNU improved to 12-2-1 overall, 6-0-0 in the Capital Athletic Conference. 

CNU officially took the lead in the CAC standings as the first team to reach six wins this season. The Captains not only picked up their seventh straight win, but also earned the team's ninth shutout of the season and third straight clean sheet. 

Okeowo and the Captains' offense controlled the action after halftime, outshooting the home Eagles by a 14-3 margin, including an 8-3 edge in shots on-goal. In the game, CNU held a 20-11 advantage, as the senior forward took seven of those shots, including five on-goal. With three goals already on the board, Okeowo nearly made it four with a gorgeous volley shot off a knee-high pass from rookie Victoria Perry late in the second half. 

Her first goal was set up by junior Joy Piirto in the 18th minute of action. Piirto wrestled the ball away from a defender on the right side and saw Okeowo streaking alone down the left side. With a long switch, Piirto found the feet of the Dumfries, Va. native, and after one touch, scooted a low shot past the UMW keeper, Sara Armor.  

Armor faced just three shots in the opening stanza, making a pair of saves. It was CNU's rookie goalkeeper, Haley Casanova, that was tested in the first 45 minutes, forced to make four saves on eight shots to keep Mary Washington off the board. 

With a 1-0 lead at the half, Okeowo added an insurance goal quickly after the break. Just 3:27 into the second half, Okeowo knocked home an strike for her second goal of the game, off a pass by Emma O'Reilly. Her hat trick would be capped off in the 68th minute when she cleaned up a save by Armor on a shot by O'Reilly. She came through on the left side and scored on the open goal after Armor failed to corral the stop. 

In the 17-year history of the CNU women's soccer program, only six players had previously put away three goals in a game. It stands as the game record for scoring strikes, tied with teammate Emma O'Reilly and five others. It was the 12th hat trick in program history. 

Casanova finished the game with seven saves, locking up her eighth shutout of the season. She moves into sole possession of third on the Christopher Newport single season shutout chart, trailing just the record of 11 set by two former CNU netminders. 

CNU has just two games left on the regular season schedule, slated to travel to Wesley College (4-10-1, 0-5-0) this Saturday, October 26 at 6:00 pm. They will then close out the regular season on the road at St. Mary's College (Md.) (5-8-3, 4-2-0), on Tuesday, October 29.