Box Score in HTML Format
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport men's soccer team saw a 14-game unbeaten streak come to an end in the Capital Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday evening, as third-seeded Mary Washington captured the 2017 title with a 3-1 win on a brisk evening at Captains Field. With the loss in the championship game, Mary Washington secures the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, improving to 15-4-1, while CNU falls to 14-3-1 on the season.
The Eagles captured their first title since 2001 with the 3-1 victory, as Mary Washington jumped out to an early lead, scoring in the first two minutes of the game and forcing CNU to play from behind throughout the contest. After the Eagles pulled ahead 2-0, the Captains picked up one goal in the 70th minute, but Mary Washington would re-take a two-goal lead in the 81st for the final score of 3-1.
The first goal of the match came just 1:54 into play as Mary Washington came through with a second effort after a corner kick. After the defense failed to clear, Ryan Van Maanen headed the ball forward from the top of the box; the next touch was a header from Colin Travis that softly lofted the head of CNU goalkeeper
Zach Pedini for his third goal of the season.
The Captains struggled to find rhythm offensively for much of the first half, taking just four shots in the frame. The first threat to Mary Washington senior goalkeeper Matt Spencer came in the 13th minute when CNU's leading scorer,
Jimmy Grace, delivered a blistering shot destined for the left side of the goal, but the Eagles keeper made a terrific diving save to his right. Just over a minute later, senior
Andrew Gogolin collected the ball at midfield and drove toward the top of the box, beating three defenders along the way. With a small window to take a shot, Gogolin fired a missile just wide of the net. As time waned in the first half, the Captains got one more rocketed shot off the foot of
David Eddleton with less than a minute to play, cooking just three feet off the ground from 30 yards out, but wide left.
In the second half, Mary Washington tacked on another goal in the 58th minute when Keanu Korkor found Ryan Van Maanen for another goal off the second effort. Pedini made a highlight-reel save moments earlier after a two-versus-one counter attack left the CNU keeper all alone with a pair of Mary Washington attackers. Van Maanen's first shot from inside the box was denied, but the save went to the foot of Korkor, who set up Van Maanen again for a shot into the left side of the goal.
Rookie Davis Pillow picked up the lone score of the night for Christopher Newport, off an assist from senior
James Lee. The goal cut the lead in half in the 70th minute off a set piece taken by Lee. The ball was floated into the middle of the box beyond the outstretched hands of Spencer, and Pillow put away the shot for the score, his fourth of the year.
With a mind for tying the game in the final 20 minutes of action, the Captains' national-leading offense pushed everything forward and pressured Spencer again and again. Junior
Stephen Durbin played a masterful header toward the upper 90 with just under 13 minutes left, off a service by junior defender
Bobby Seifert. His flick was just within the reach of an outstretched Spencer, who poked the shot above the crossbar to make the save.
A defensive lapse would add to the Eagles lead in the 81st minute and put the game all but out of reach. An own goal scored by CNU's defense gave the Eagles a 3-1 advantage with less than ten minutes to play.
CNU held a slight 16-13 advantage in total shots, with a 9-8 edge in shots on-goal.
The Eagles will learn their first round opponent and site of competition when the NCAA Championship Committee announces the field of 62 teams on Monday, November 6 at 1:30 pm on NCAA.com.
