BRIDGEWATER, Va. -- The Christopher Newport field hockey team will open up the 2015 season on Tuesday evening when the Captains travel to Bridgewater for a 7 p.m. showdown at the Jopson Field Athletic Complex.
 
Entering the season, CNU ranks 16th in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Preseason Poll. The squad is coming off of a 12-7 season in 2014 which saw the program reach the Capital Athletic Conference Championship game for the second straight year. CNU returns nine starters from last year's roster, including All-CAC selections Alexa Hendrickson and Lisa Murphy.
 
Bridgewater is also coming off of a strong 2014 season, which saw the squad reach the ODAC Championship game for the first time in program history. The Eagles eventually finished the year with a 12-8 record, including a stellar 7-1 mark in league action. Boasting high expectations for the coming year, BC placed second in the 2015 ODAC Preseason Coaches Poll and earned three first-place votes.
 
A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS
CNU lost a pair of highly-decorated players from last year's squad after Belle Tunstall and Allie Hackbarth graduated in the spring. However, the Captains still welcome back a solid veteran core. Along with Hendrickson and Murphy, who earned All-League nods last year, junior goalie Bailey Lien returns after picking up All-State nods for the second time in her career.
 
In addition to the award-winners, the team welcomes back Carol Thompson and Taylor Williams, who joined Tunstall as the team's leading scorers in 2014. Additionally, Alexa Weaver and Mackenzie Neylon started all 19 games during their freshman campaigns, while senior Lauren Cheatham is back after suffering a season-ending knee injury early last year.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Tuesday's game marks the first action of the season for the Captains, who were last on the field in the 2014 CAC Championship Game against Salisbury. During that contest, Thompson and Madison Doss teamed up on an early first-half goal, while Lien contributed a career-high 18 saves. Unfortunately, the Sea Gulls were able to clip the Captains in overtime to steal the league title.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Bridgewater returns an equally experienced group of players from its 2014 roster. The current squad will be led by a strong senior class, including Taylor Prillaman, Rachael Loy, and Caroline Fletcher, who have combined for seven All-Conference awards during their careers. Prillaman led last year's team with 15 goals and earned first-team All-State and All-ODAC accolades. Loy also paced the squad with 10 assists, while Fletcher helped anchor the midfield unit and started all 20 games.
 
Defensively, the Eagles are led by Amanda Harper, who registered a 10-7 record and a 1.82 goals-against-average last season. Katie Ellis also returns after posting a team-high four defensive saves in 2014.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Captains and Eagles have battled 13 times with CNU holding a 12-1 edge in the all-time series. Christopher Newport has won the last 12 meetings, including a 2-0 triumph in Newport News last season. During that game, Weaver and Williams both recorded goals for the Captains.
 
UP NEXT
Following Tuesday's opener, Christopher Newport will return to action on Sunday when CNU kicks off its home slate with a 1 p.m. contest against Ferrum at Captains Turf Field.
 
---CNU---