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ORANGE, Calif. -- The 8th-ranked Christopher Newport men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season on Sunday afternoon, falling in a shootout with Chapman University (4-2-1) on the road, 5-3.  The Captains juggernaut offense was on display again, but the defense, which allowed only three goals in the first six games, gave up four second-half goals in the setback. 

CNU falls to 6-1-0 on the season and will return from the Golden State with just two non-conference matchups left on the regular season slate, including a road trip to Lynchburg College on Wednesday, September 21. 

The physical contest was knotted at one at halftime after Jimmy Grace connected on his second goal of the week, but the Panthers responded with a penalty kick goal in the 43rd minute. In the second half, the action ramped up both offensively and defensively, as the teams combined for 29 total fouls in the contest and seven cautions. 

Chapman took a 2-1 lead in the 60th minute when Grant Fremmerlid found Cole Peters for a goal, but the lead would not even last a minute as Grace found Zach Ballard for a game-tying strike moments later. The Panthers responded right back, however, teetering back in front 3-2 with a goal from Sidney Ecoiffier. 

After trailing for 14 minutes, CNU equalized again when rookie Samsu Sallah connected with Hunter Johnson for the strike, but the Panthers' Marco Saglimbeni put the team on his back with two goals in the next four minutes to put away the Captains, 5-3. 

CNU outshot Chapman by a count of 16-10, including a 10-6 advantage in shots on-goal. Sean Augustine, the Panthers' goalkeeper, made seven saves to secure the win against the potent Captains' attack. 

Christopher Newport will travel to face Lynchburg on Wednesday at 7:00 pm. Following the matchup with the Hornets, CAC action gets underway at home on Saturday against York College of Pennsylvania at 7:00 pm.