BUENA VISTA, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team is back in action on Wednesday evening, traveling to Southern Virginia University for a 5:00 pm kickoff. The Captains (9-0-1, 2-0-0) will put their sterling start to the season to the test against the Knights in Capital Athletic Conference action after being ranked No. 9 in the nation by the United Soccer Coaches on Tuesday afternoon.
The Captains, who were ranked a program-best No. 7 last week, only had one game on the schedule and dispatched of Wesley, 11-0, but voters still dropped CNU two spots in the poll this week. SUNY Geneseo and Messiah each jumped ahead of the Captains, who will carry their new national designation into a pair of league games this week. In the D3soccer.com Top 25, the Captains held position at No. 5 nationally.
On Wednesday, CNU and Southern Virginia will play in Buena Vista with live stats and video presented by the home team. Links to the Knights' coverage can be found at CNUsports.com on the women's soccer schedule.
Christopher Newport boasts one of the longest unbeaten streaks in the nation, opening the season with a 10-game roll. The potent CNU attack has been the story for much of the year, scoring multiple goals in all but two games this season. As a team, the Captains are averaging 3.80 goals per game, led by rookie
Riley Cook with eight goals and two assists for a team-high 18 points this season. Junior
Gabby Gillis, coming off a hat trick performance against Wesley, is up to 16 points on seven goals and two assists to rank second on the team, and sophomore
Carson Pokorny is also in double figures with four goals and four assists for 12 points.
Southern Virginia enters the contest with a 3-2-1 record over their last six games, including a pair of positive overtime results. In conference play, the Knights have suffered a 1-0 loss to Salisbury and a 3-0 setback against Penn State Harrisburg. Rookie Alli Rigby leads the way with six goals and an assist for 13 points, while sophomore Taylor Mercer has netted two game winning goals and ranks second with seven points this season.
Defensively, the Knights have started three different players at least three games each. Junior Merideth Ouellette has the best mark so far in four starts, posting a 1.24 GAA over a team-high 434 minutes.
Following Wednesday's road trip, the Captains will return home for another key conference bout against Frostburg State University on Saturday, October 7.
