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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- An early first-half goal and a gritty, physical defensive effort highlighted a 1-0 win over second-seeded Mary Washington on Saturday night, as the 24th-ranked Christopher Newport men's soccer team captured their second Capital Athletic Conference Championship in three years. CNU extended their unbeaten streak to 12 games, earning the CAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament in the process. 

The Captains managed to exact revenge against the Eagles (14-4-0) after Mary Washington eliminated CNU in last year's tournament. Christopher Newport improves to 17-2-1 overall this season after outlasting their conference foes for 90 minutes in front of a raucous crowd of over 1,000 fans at Captains Field. 

CNU played in front for most of the game, courtesy of a goal 11 minutes into the contest. Rookie Jordan Boone received a pass from senior midfielder Jimmy Grace, and carved through the box before drawing out Mary Washington goalkeeper Matt Spencer. Forced to play Boone in tight quarters, Spencer left junior Andrew Gogolin wide open on the back post, where Boone slipped him a pass across the goalmouth for the score. Gogolin continues his breakout season offensively, scoring his seventh goal of the season and running his career-best point total to 18. 

It would be the only tally of the night for either team, as two of the league's top offensive teams did most of their work on the defensive end. CNU handed Mary Washington it's first shutout of the season, and the Captains were held to one goal for just the second time this year. In a physical battle that saw 49 fouls whistled and eight cautions issued, it was the Captains back line that held on slightly better for the clean sheet. 

Led by seniors Harry Nodwell and Sammy Blosser, with junior Zach Douglass, sophomore Bobby Seifert, and rookie Derek Cook, the Captains defense continuously averted disaster with big play after big play. The Eagles managed five shots on-goal, and sophomore goalkeeper Zach Pedini turned away four of them. The best chance of the day for the Eagles came on a corner kick, when Mitchell Williams had a point-blank attempt saved by Pedini, but a rebound went right to the feet of Lucas Turney. Turney tried to slot a shot into the left side, but the Captains' defense held strong, knocking away the shot off the line for a team save. 

As the minutes waned in the conference title game, the contentious play continued both ways, with four bookings coming in the final 5:03 of action. The Eagles were whistled for having 12 men on the field with just under two minutes to go, and the Captains were able to stall in the corner for most of the remaining time. 

When the buzzer sounded, the Captains were mobbed on the field by fans, capturing their first ever conference title at Captains Field. With the win, CNU captured the program's fifth conference tournament championship, but the previous four were played on a neutral field or on the road. All five have come in the last eight seasons. 

The Captains will now await the decision of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer National Championship Committee, who will release the 2016 tournament bracket on Monday afternoon at 1:00 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. The Captains will be playing in their 10th NCAA Tournament, including nine under head coach Steve Shaw. 

Highlights