Box Score in HTML Format

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Starting the year with a pristine 4-0 record for the first time since an 8-game roll to kick off the 2000 season, the Christopher Newport women's soccer team captured a 1-0 win over Wheaton College (Ill.) in the 2016 Captains Classic finale on Saturday evening. Sophomore Taylor Hudgins delivered her first career game-winning goal in the second half, and the defense stood tall against a talented Thunder offense, earning their third shutout in four games. 

Wheaton falls to 1-3-0 after the setback, despite holding the Captains' powerful offense to just one goal for the first time this season. Through the first four games, CNU has scored 13 goals with seven different players registering tallies. 

On Saturday evening, the Captains game kicked off a little late after the first game between 6th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University and Virginia Wesleyan College extended to double overtime. With a hot, humid evening on tap, the teams both shuffled their lineups throughout the contest, trying to find the best matchups on the field. In the first half, it appeared Wheaton would take control in the attacking third for the final ten minutes of the contest, getting a couple of solid opportunities.

First, with about 11 minutes remaining in the stanza, Autumn Rasmussen set up a strike by Chelsea Gnan with a give-and-go pass down the left side of the box. Gnan reached the ball with no one in front of her but CNU goalkeeper Carly Maglio, but had a tough angle and blasted her shot wide of the net. As the clock waned in the first half, the Captains answered with a chance at an open goal, as the Wheaton keeper came off her line to try and make a clearance. The ball bounced right to sophomore Kayla Locklear, but with just too much distance between her and the goal, she powered the shot wide. 

The teams went into the break tied 0-0 with the Captains holding a 9-4 advantage in total shots. Wheaton had three shots on-goal while the Captains managed just one. Things would turn the other direction to start the second half, with Christopher Newport controlling most of the action going forward. Neither team really tested the keepers until about 25 minutes through the second stanza, which is when Taylor Hudgins took over for the Captains. 

Using a masterful first touch on several possessions, Hudgins controlled the middle of the park for several minutes, creating opportunities for the Captains out of the midfield. It was a play built for her, however, that would get CNU on the board. Sophomore Gabby Gillis collected a pass in the midfield and, with Hudgins backing down her defender, slipped a pass right to her feet. Hudgins gathered possession, faked left and spun to her right to get free; with space, the sophomore smacked a low shot toward the right side of the goal, and it got under the Wheaton goalkeeper. The only goal of the game, Hudgins' picked up her first goal of the season and second career scoring strike.

Almost immediately after the goal, Hudgins nearly collected another as she received a nice pass from rookie Carson Pokorny at the 6-yard box, but Wheaton's keeper, Kathryn McGregor, picked up one of her six saves. Then, one minute later, the CNU sophomore midfielder blistered another shot off a Thunder defender, continuing to mount pressure against the Wheaton back line.  

Facing a one-goal deficit, Wheaton started to send more players forward, opening up a few scoring chances for the Captains, but nothing materialized and the rest of the game would be on the shoulders of the CNU defense. Juniors Danielle Pratt and Kira Warner headlined the activity, while rookies Keiley McCarthy and Shaye Doherty also had stellar performances on the defensive end. In goal, Maglio improved to 4-0-0 on the season, making three saves to secure her third shutout of the year.  The defense in front of her was tremendous down the stretch, not allowing a shot on-goal in the second half. 

Hudgins' led the team with six shots, putting two on-goal, while Pokorny and Kimmie Kerstiens each added three shots in the game. CNU outshot the Thunder by a final tally of 20-9, including a slight 7-3 advantage in shots on-goal. 

CNU will face a familiar foe in their next contest, hosting Virginia Wesleyan College (1-2-0) on Wednesday night. The Captains and Marlins have seen eachother play three times already this season, as each team played in the others' respective tournaments. The latest chapter in the long-standing rivalry will kick off at 7:00 pm. 

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