Live Stats // Live Video

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Kicking off Capital Athletic Conference action with a top-20 showdown, the 15th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will host No. 3 Salisbury at noon on Saturday in the squad's first league bout of the season at Captains Turf Field.
                                                               
Entering the weekend, CNU currently sits at 8-1 on the season, including 3-1 in home action. Meanwhile, Salisbury is 6-1 overall with a perfect 4-0 mark on the road.
 
For those fans unable to attend Saturday's tilt, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
 
Saturday's contest will feature two of the top defensive units in the nation. Christopher Newport currently ranks first in the country with a 0.45 goals-against-average, while Salisbury is fourth with a 0.57 mark. Both squads also rank in the top-10 nationally in save percentage and shutouts. The Captains have blanked six opponents this year, and the Sea Gulls have shut out four.
 
CNU has been led by senior goalie Stephanie McKinney, who ranks fourth in the NCAA with a 0.54 goals-against-average. Her .857 save percentage is also tied for the eighth-highest mark in the country. Meanwhile, the rest of the defense has limited the opposition to just 5.4 shots per game, while Rachel Cooke, Brittan Muir, and Mackenzie Neylon have all contributed defensive saves.
 
Offensively, Rachael Allshouse leads Christopher Newport with seven goals, while Courtney Fiest has a league-high eight assists. Five Captains also rank among the top-10 in the CAC in points. Allshouse sits third with 15, while Madison Doss is fourth with 14. Rounding out the leading scorers, Fiest and Jackie Kotoriy are tied for seventh in the league with 12 points, and Lily Bryngelson is ninth with 11.
 
For Salisbury, Tressie Windsor has been dominant on the defensive end throughout the year. She currently ranks second in the conference with a 0.57 goals-against-average. The senior is coming off of a 2-1 victory against No. 3 TCNJ last weekend. She also surrendered just two goals and made eight saves during a 2-1 overtime setback against No. 1 Messiah on September 9.
 
Along with Windsor, Lindsey Elgin is the reigning CAC Defensive Player of the Week after helping the SU defense limit the opposition to just eight on-target shots while also contributing a defensive save during the squad's two victories last week. On the offensive side, Natalie Wilkinson has a team-high nine points, while Rachel Domanico has four goals. Emily Lemanski has a team-leading four assists as well.
 
Longtime rivals, Salisbury and Christopher Newport have met 20 times with the Sea Gulls holding a 17-3 edge in the all-time series. Last year, SU picked up a 2-1 overtime victory in Maryland. Cooke scored CNU's goal to tie the game in the second half before Madison Angulas came through with the clincher off a feed from Annah Brittingham to ice the win for Salisbury.
 
---CNU---