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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the first time since joining the league in 2013, the Christopher Newport women's soccer team has won the Capital Athletic Conference championship. The Captains toppled #2-seed Frostburg State, 1-0, in front of a home crowd of over 600 people on a crisp, Fall evening at Captains Field to lock up the CAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.

The Captains improved to 16-2-1 with the win, while Frostburg State fell to 10-9-1 overall following the setback. It is the first tournament championship under head coach Dan Weiler, and will be the third trip to the NCAA Tournament in four years under the Captains' helmsman. The conference championship is the first for the team since 2010 and the seventh in program history, which dates back to 1997.  

The win, much like many others in the 2016 season, was powered by another stout defensive effort from the Captains midfield and back line.  The Captains outshot the Bobcats, 21-3, and only allowed two total attempts on frame. CNU controlled possession throughout the match and picked up the team's 12th shutout of the season, matching a program record. 

On the offensive end, the lone score of the game would come early, when senior Victoria Perry connected with Carson Pokorny on a beautiful goal in the 17th minute of action. Perry dribbled past a defender on the right side of the field before powering a perfect cross toward the back post, where the CNU rookie headed home the game-winning score. The assist was Perry's 12th of the season, ranking as the second most at CNU in a single season behind Carly Utterback's 13 in 2012. Pokorny's goal was her fifth, and stood up as her third game-winning goal of the season. 

In the first half, the CNU pressure was stifling, outshooting Frostburg State by a total of 12-1. The Captains forced Rhianna Lapen to make four saves in the frame, including a leaping one-handed stab on a shot by senior Kate Hurlock that was headed for the top shelf. 

The second half allowed for the Captains to sit in a litte more, relying on stellar performances out of the defensive midfield from Hurlock, rookie Logan Montel and sophomore Gabby Gillis. The Captains' defense of Danielle Pratt, Kira Warner, Shaye Doherty, and Keiley McCarthy, allowed only one corner kick and just the three shots in the game.

Gillis also created two of the Captains' top scoring opportunities in the second half, working through a pair of defenders to set up Angie Williams in front of the net before crossing up a Bobcat to smash her own shot within minutes early in the stanza. 

With the win, junior goalkeeper Carly Maglio secured her program-record tying 16th win of the season, matching Meghan Gumbs' mark in the 2010 season. She also broke the Captains' single season shutout record held by Erin Wojtkun (11 in 2005), with her 12th clean sheet of the season. Maglio made two saves in the win. 

The Captains will now await the decision of the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer National Championship Committee, who will release the 2016 tournament bracket on Monday afternoon at 1:30 pm. CNU will learn who they will face and where in the opening round of postseason play, set for next weekend. The NCAA Selection Show will be released online at NCAA.com. This will be the ninth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Captains, including three in four seasons under Weiler. 


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