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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Just 27 seconds into Wednesday night's matchup at cross-water rival Virginia Wesleyan College, junior forward Victoria Perry scored the first goal of the match for the Captains to get things started. Then, after the Marlins (2-5-0) tied things up and forced overtime, Perry took the game in her hands again and ended it, leading CNU to a 2-1 win on the road. It was the longest gap between goals in the same game in CNU women's soccer history with over 93 minutes between tallies, but the wait was worth it for CNU, capturing their fifth win of the season.

The thrilling victory ensured the Captains would remain unbeaten to start the year, improving their overall record to 5-0-1 through the first six games. Perry picked up her fourth and fifth goals of the season, including her second game-winning goal. 

The first goal of the match came on the Captains' very first possession. Perry got behind the Marlins defense and slipped by the keeper for a look at the open net that was saved by defender Alexia Vassiliadis. The rebound bounced right back to Perry, though, and she buried the second chance to put CNU on top early. 

CNU had the early advantage in shots, but Virginia Wesleyan teetered the momentum back in their favor in the 26th minute with an equalizer by Annie Hartman. The Marlins' reserve forward came in and scored off a goalie deflection to tie the game with just under 20 minutes to go in the first half. 

The physical battle continued through a scoreless second half with both teams coming away with quality chances. Virginia Wesleyan nearly got the winner twice, first in the 82nd minute when Madison Atkins had a shot go just wide left of an open net. Then, a misplayed ball at the start of overtime nearly spelled doom for the Captains, but Kaitlyn Clunan's shot was wide right. 

On the ensuing counter by the Captains, Perry got loose on a breakaway and silenced the Marlins' fans with a bullet into the center of the goal past rookie goalkeeper Alexis Wheeler.

The dominant effort from Perry was just the latest in a long history of strong offensive performances at Foster Field on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan College. With the two scores Wednesday night, Perry now has seven career goals, including three gamewinners, and two assists in eight games played at Foster Field. 

Haley Casanova and the CNU defense allowed just its second goal of the season in over 560 minutes of action, but still limited VWC to just 10 total shots in the game. Casanova made four saves, while Wheeler also stopped four shots for the Marlins. 

Perry is now just outside the top ten all-time in career goals and points, while moving into a tie for sixth all-time with nine game-winning scores. She now has 21 career goals and 13 assists for 55 total points. 

The Captains will now focus their attention on the Windy City, as they travel to the Chicago area for a pair this weekend. CNU will first take on 24th-ranked Wheaton College (Ill.) on Saturday, September 19 before moving on to play the University of Chicago on Sunday, September 20.