NFHCA Poll
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GILBERT, Ariz. -- Climbing into the top-10 for the first time in three years, the Christopher Newport field hockey team jumped to 10th in the latest NFHCA National Coaches Poll and will face another nationally-ranked showdown on Wednesday at 4 p.m. when the Captains travel to Fredericksburg for a Capital Athletic Conference tilt against No. 19 Mary Washington at the Battleground Athletic Complex.
 
After extending its winning streak to five straight games with a 1-0 triumph over Salisbury on Saturday, CNU picked up 439 points in the latest poll to secure the No. 10 spot. The Captains last appeared in the top-10 on September 16, 2014 when the squad was slotted ninth in the nation. Overall, this week marks the 97th time Christopher Newport has been ranked in the top-20 nationally since the program made its first appearance in the NFHCA poll in 2006.
 
Along with the Captains, Salisbury currently ranks seventh in the latest coaches poll, while Mary Washington is 19th overall. York (Pa.) also earned 91 points in the rankings and sits just outside of the top-20.
 
Remaining at the top of the poll, Messiah sits in the No. 1 position, while Babson, Montclair State, Tufts, and TCNJ round out the top-five.
 
So far this season, Christopher Newport has been dynamic on the defensive end as the squad leads the nation with a .902 save percentage and a 0.40 goals-against-average. The squad's seven shutouts are also tied for the most in the NCAA.
 
On an individual level, Stephanie McKinney sports an NCAA-best .886 save percentage and a 0.47 goals-against-average. The reigning CAC Defensive Player of the Week has faced 58 shots this year and allowed just four goals. Meanwhile, Brittan Muir has a pair of defensive saves, while Mackenzie Neylon and Rachel Cooke have one apiece.
 
Offensively, Rachael Allshouse has a team-high seven goals and 15 points. Madison Doss also has 14 points for the Captains, while Jackie Kotoriy has 13, including an assist on the game-winning strike by Courtnie Greene on Saturday. Meanwhile, Courtney Fiest has a league-high eight assists, which is one shy of equaling the all-time single-season freshman record at CNU.
 
Mary Washington comes into the week with a potent offensive attack that ranks ninth in the nation with a 4.00 goals-per-game average. The Eagles have scored at least three goals in each of their last three games and tallied at least five strikes on four occasions this season. Lauren Hopkins has been at the forefront of the attack as the sophomore ranks second in the CAC with eight goals and 18 points.
 
Equally effective on the defensive side, UMW ranks 20th in the nation with a 0.95 goals-against-average. Jessica Cavolt is third in the league with an .815 save percentage, while Jackie Smith has four defensive saves.
 
Mary Washington and CNU have met 18 times with the Captains holding a 12-6 edge in the series. The two squads split a pair of match-ups last year as Christopher Newport posted a 1-0 win in the regular season finale before UMW collected a 3-2 triumph in overtime during the CAC semifinals.
 
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