Box Score in HTML Format

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Christopher Newport defense stood tall for the second straight game to open the 2016 season, and the stellar offensive unit put on another impressive display in the second half, scoring three goals to pull away from Methodist (0-2-0) on the road, 3-0.  The Captains' women's soccer team improved to 2-0-0 on the young season with their second straight shutout, and three different CNU players registered goals against the Monarchs. 

Playing on a beautiful day in North Carolina, the CNU offense controlled the action for most of the evening, outshooting Methodist by a final tally of 24-3. The Captains also peppered the Monarchs' starting goalkeeper, Meghan O'Meara, with 11 attempts on frame. O'Meara made a career-high eight saves in the game, but could not keep the potent CNU attack off the board in the second half. 

The first, and eventual gamewinning, goal came in the 66th minute of action as rookie Carson Pokorny converted for her second game-winning goal in as many career games. The freshman from Williamsburg, Va. burst past her defender as sophomore midfielder Taylor Hudgins lofted a long pass out of the midfield and over the back line. The speedy Pokorny got to the ball first and blistered a shot into the left side of the goal past O'Meara. 

Once the first score tickled the twine, the offense settled in and found two more tallies quickly back-to-back about ten minutes later. First, in the 76th minute of action, Victoria Perry converted on her 31st career goal when she buried an unassisted goal past O'Meara. Then, just over two minutes later, the Captains showcased textbook passing for the third and final goal. First, a long ball out of the midfield by Gabby Gillis set Pokorny and junior Kimmie Kerstiens free past the defense. With a 2-on-1 against the keeper, Pokorny dribbled right toward O'Meara and touched to Kerstiens in the box for a wide open goal. 

The CNU offense would settle for three goals, despite several opportunities in the game. Late in the first half, senior Allie McWilliams drew a foul just outside the box in the middle of the field, setting up a free kick for the Captains. Unfortunately, CNU was unable to get a shot off, and Methodist escaped the chance. With a 2-0 lead, and just seconds after the MU kickoff following the second goal, CNU nearly converted on a breakaway by Pokorny. She unleashed another missle on-goal, but O'Meara was up to the task, stopping the one-on-one chance. 

On the other side of the ball, the Methodist offense was frustrated all day, unable to get a quality chance throughout the contest. The best effort came from just outside the box in the 74th minute when Haley Bowles powered a left-footed shot toward CNU keeper Carly Maglio. Maglio stoned the shot without leaving her spot, and closed out her second shutout of the season. 

Following the win, CNU will return to Newport News and will host their home opener this weekend, as they welcome Carnegie Mellon University and Wheaton College (Ill.) for the 2016 Captains Classic. The classic-format tournament will begin with a neutral site game between Virginia Wesleyan College and the Wheaton Thunder on Friday, September 9 at 5:00 pm, followed by the Captains' matchup with the Tartans of CMU at 7:00 pm.