VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Less than a week after being picked as pre-season favorites to win the Capital Athletic Conference, the Christopher Newport women's soccer team will open the season with two neutral site non-conference games this weekend. The Captains (0-0) will travel across the water to kick off their season at the Atlantic Orthopaedic Soccer Tournament against Austin College (0-0) on Friday night at 7:30 p.m., and will take on The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) (0-0) on Saturday at 8:00 p.m.

The tournament is being hosted by Virginia Wesleyan College, who CNU will match up against at home in two weeks. Live stats will be available for both games with links found at CNUsports.com, and tickets for the event will be $5 for adults, $2 for children 12 and under, and free for students, faculty and staff with a valid ID. The four-game classic format will include games between the host and TCNJ on Friday evening at 5:00 p.m. and versus the Roos on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to stay tuned to CNUsports.com and follow @CNUathletics on Twitter and Facebook for any updates to the schedule. 

Heading into his fourth year at the helm of CNU women's soccer, head coach Dan Weiler will guide the Captains into yet another tough non-conference slate, starting with this weekend's contests. First, Christopher Newport will face a program they have never been exposed to, taking on the Kangaroos of Austin College out of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). A young team in 2015, the Roos were just 3-14-2, but return all but 6 points from last years squad, including leading scorer Ashley Rice. Defensively, Laura McGee played every minute in goal for the Kangaroos last season and will return for her junior year in 2016. 

Following the contest with Austin College, the Captains will turn their attention to another out-of-state foe, facing off against TCNJ for the first time since the 2010 season, where the Lions downed the Captains in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. TCNJ has been one of the top teams in the region, winning 18 games in two of the last three seasons and reaching the NCAA Elite Eight in 2014. The Lions were a tournament team again last season, reaching the second round and finishing the year with a 13-4-4 overall record. A potent attack features five of the top six leading scorers returning to the pitch from a year ago, including 30-point scorer Elizabeth Thoresen, a first team All-NJAC selection. The powerful offense was paired with a terrific defense that posted a 0.59 goals against average with 14 shutouts in 2015, led by goalkeeper Jessica Weeder, back for her senior year in 2016. 

The Captains also return a bulk of their scoring from last season, and will have high expectations heading into the 2016 season. Seniors Victoria Perry and Allie McWilliams were 1-2 in scoring last season and hope to punctuate their careers with a third NCAA Tournament appearance. Perry, the 2014 CAC Player of the Year, is a two-time NSCAA All-Region selection and ranks in the top six all-time at CNU in goals, points and assists; McWilliams used an impressive 8-assist season last year to move into the top ten all-time at Christopher Newport. Defensively, CNU will lean on junior goalkeeper Carly Maglio who owns the starting job from the outset for the first time in her career. After taking over the starting role permanently for the final stretch of games last season, the Captains pieced together an impressive run winning nine of ten games to capture their third straight CAC regular season title. Maglio finished the year with a 0.97 goals against average and a save percentage over 77%. Three of the four starting defenders return from last year's squad, highlighted by All-Region center back Kira Warner. 

Following the season-opening tournament in Virginia Beach, the Captains will stay on the road to face Methodist University in mid-week action next week before opening their home schedule in the Captains Classic next Friday and Saturday, September 9-10 at Captains Field.