DOVER, Del. -- The 16th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will kick off Capital Athletic Conference action on Saturday when the Captains head to Wesley for an 11 a.m. bout at Drass Field.

CNU enters the contest with a 2-1 record after opening the year with two straight wins before a setback at Lynchburg on Wednesday. Wesley currently sits at 1-3 overall. The Wolverines also kicked off the season with a victory before dropping their last three decisions.

A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS

Through three games, Christopher Newport is averaging six goals-per-contest and has limited the opposition to only four total scores. Carol Thompson has been at the forefront of the attack with five goals, including four against Ferrum on Sunday. Lauren Cheatham has gotten off to a solid start in her senior campaign as well, notching three goals and a pair of assists.

Helping balance out the attack this year, Alexa Weaver and Mackenzie Neylon each have five points, while Lisa Murphy has been the squad's top facilitator with three assists. Equally impressive, three freshmen have already found the back of the cage this year as Cori Black, Hannah Clark, and Abby Cryts have all kicked off their careers in fine fashion.

LAST TIME OUT

On Wednesday, the Captains suffered their first setback of the season after dropping a 3-2 decision at Lynchburg. After the Hornets jumped out to an early lead, Thompson immediately retaliated with a first-half goal. Later, Lynchburg added back-to-back strikes in the second half, which put the game away. Although Cryts came through with her first career goal with 15 minutes remaining, CNU was unable to complete its comeback.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES

After opening the year with a 3-0 victory over Immaculata, Wesley has dropped its last three decisions to Misericordia, King's (Pa.), and Rowan. Freshman Summer Gannon has led the squad this season, collecting a team-high five points. Meghan Groom has also dished out a pair of assists, while Allison Perugini drove home the game-winner in the season opener.

Defensively, Kayla Fromal already has 44 saves in 280 minutes of work. Assisting on the back line, Morgan Seymour has three defensive saves, while Kasey Fry has added a stop as well.

SERIES HISTORY

Wesley and CNU have battled eight times with the Captains holding a 7-1 lead in the all-time series. Christopher Newport has won the last seven meetings, including a 1-0 triumph at Captains Turf Field last year. During that contest, Sarah Miller came through with the game's lone goal following an assist by Madison Doss.

UP NEXT

After opening up league action on Saturday, Christopher Newport will return to non-conference tilts beginning on September 19 with a 2 p.m. clash against Washington & Lee at Captains Turf Field. Following that game, CNU will hold its annual post-game clinic. For those looking to participate, pre-registration is available here: http://stickpowerfieldhockey.memberlodge.com/event-1988115

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