BUENA VISTA, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team will cap off a five-game road swing on Thursday at 5 p.m. when the Captains take on Southern Virginia in a Capital Athletic Conference contest at the SVU Fields.
Christopher Newport enters the battle with a 6-3 record, including a 1-0 mark in league action. The Captains are also riding a three-game winning streak and sit at 4-2 away from Newport News. Meanwhile, Southern Virginia is 3-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
For those fans unable to make it to the game, Southern Virginia will provide live stats of the action. A direct link can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS
In the squad's first nine games of the year, Christopher Newport has displayed a potent offensive attack led by
Meaghan Galvin and
Sarah Culver. Entering Thursday, Galvin ranks ninth in the NCAA with 22 assists and 12th with 43 points. The reigning CAC Offensive Player of the Week also stands eighth in the country with 47 draw controls. Meanwhile, Culver has lit up the back of the net with a team-high 27 goals, which places her 18th in the nation.
Along with the squad's leading scorers,
Catie Chess has also struck 13 times, while
Erin Callahan has a dozen goals as well.
Carly Wilson has also been a key facilitator, dishing out 10 assists to help balance out the offensive attack.
On the defensive side, freshman
Kaitlyn Ready has started the past six games in the crease and sports a .436 save percentage and an 8.97 goals-against-average. In her last appearance, she pieced together a tremendous effort with 14 saves against Stevens on Sunday. Additionally,
Mackenzie Regen and
Tess D'Arcy are tied for the team-lead with nine caused turnovers, while
Mariah Ginebra has eight to go along with 15 ground balls.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Southern Virginia comes into Thursday's bout with a 2-2 record at home, including a 12-9 triumph over Randolph on Tuesday. Similar to the Captains, SVU has a nationally-ranked offensive standout as Zoe Bradshaw sits in the top-20 in both goals and points. She currently stands 10th in the NCAA - and first in the CAC - with 31 goals, while her 38 points place her 20th in the country. Bradshaw is also coming off of a seven-goal explosion in the win over Randolph.
Along with their senior standout, the Knights have also received 15 goals from Claire Houghtaling and 11 from Lauren Thatcher. Meanwhile, in goal, Madilyn Krauss and Keilani Torres-Lopez have split time while combining for a .413 save percentage and a 9.45 goals-against-average. Houghtaling also has tallied a team-high 12 caused turnovers, while Bradshaw has 20 draw controls.
SERIES HISTORY
CNU and Southern Virginia have met three times with the Captains holding a 3-0 edge in the all-time series. Last year, Christopher Newport posted a 19-1 victory at Captains Turf Field. Chess and Galvin both scored twice for CNU, while
Lindsay Weaver and
Colleen Bourgal added three points apiece.
UP NEXT
Following Thursday's action, Christopher Newport will return home on Saturday when the squad hosts Shenandoah at 2 p.m.
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