NORFOLK, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's soccer team will open the 2017 slate on Friday evening with an opportunity to face one of the top teams in the nation in neutral site action, taking on 5th-ranked Trinity (Texas) at 5:00 pm as part of the Atlantic Orthopaedic Tournament hosted by Virginia Wesleyan University. The Captains will also face Catholic on day two of the tournament on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 pm. 

With the threat of poor weather in the Hampton Roads area, fans should stay tuned to CNUsports.com and follow @CNUathletics on Twitter for updates as they are made available. Barring any changes, the opening kickoff of the tournament will take place at The Trinder Center on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan University at 5:00 pm. The second game will feature the host Marlins versus Catholic at 7:30 pm. For those fans unable to make it to the game, live stats will be available with links found on the CNU schedule page. 

Coming off one of the finest seasons in program history, the Christopher Newport women's soccer team will look to parlay the experience of a strong performance last year into another fine year in 2017. CNU finished with a record-breaking 17-3-1 overall record, marking the finest performance in the 20-year history of the program, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Head coach Dan Weiler will lean heavily on a young team that garnered valuable playing experience last season as the bulk of the starting lineup will come from the sophomore class. At forward, Carson Pokorny made an immediate impact last season as the team's second leading scorer; in the midfield, rookies Sydney Rife and Logan Montel started a combined 20 games; and on the back line, the team leaders in minutes played were freshmen Shaye Doherty and Keiley McCarthy. With the talented second-year class, CNU also welcomes back a pair of All-Region performers in senior defender Danielle Pratt and junior midfielder Gabby Gills. 

The Captains will face one of the nation's top teams in game one of the 2017 season, as Trinity (Texas) comes in after posting a 23-1-0 record last year. The Tigers advanced to the program's 22nd NCAA Tournament and reached the national quarterfinals before elimination last season. Expected to be tough again this year, the Tigers are ranked No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25, and return six of their eight All-Conference performers from last season. 

Saturday's opponent will travel from Washington, D.C. to take on the Captains at 6:00 pm on Saturday, as Catholic University of America faces the Captains on day two of the tournament. The Cardinals return 18 members from last year's squad and were picked to finish third in the Landmark Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. 

The Captains and Tigers have only faced once before in program history, with Trinity capturing a 1-0 victory over CNU in the 2005 season. It will be the fourth all-time matchup between CNU and Catholic, with the Cardinals owning a slight 2-1 advantage in the series.