FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- A first-place showdown is set for Saturday afternoon in Fredericksburg, as the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team takes on the University of Mary Washington on the road in Capital Athletic Conference action. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm against the Eagles, as CNU looks to extend a seven-game winning streak.

Both teams are undefeated at the top of the CAC standings at 5-0-0 with just two regular season games left to play. CNU is 12-1-0 overall and Mary Washington enters the contest with a 9-2-1 record this season. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available with links found at CNUsports.com. 

The Captains are ranked No. 13 in the nation according to D3soccer.com and, in the first NCAA Regional Rankings of the season, were No. 1 in the South Atlantic rankings. The NCAA Regional Rankings are used to select teams for the NCAA Division III Tournament and will be released publicly twice more before the tournament selection on November 5. Christopher Newport is the top-ranked team in the region in front of TCNJ (10-1-0), Centre College (15-0-0), Randolph-Macon (9-0-1) and Lynchburg (12-2-1). Rounding out the South Atlantic Regional Rankings are Rowan (10-1-2), Emory (9-4-1), Bridgewater (11-2-1), and Virginia Wesleyan (8-3-1). 

CNU's dominant season has included seven shutouts in 13 games, for a 0.54 goals-against average defensively. Sophomore center back Lulu Manley leads the team in minutes with over 1,000 played in her second year, while juniors Shaye Doherty and Keiley McCarthy have flanked her in all 13 games. In goal, sophomore Haley Eiser owns a 0.60 goals-against average while stopping 84.2% of shots on-goal with 32 saves. 

Offensively, the Captains are led by a dynamic duo at the top of the attack in sophomore Riley Cook and senior Gabby Gillis. After shattering the rookie records at Christopher Newport last season, Cook ranks second in goals scored and total points on the sophomore scoring charts. She has a league-leading 32 points on 13 goals and 6 assists, while Gillis has followed up her first team All-American season with a 29-point effort on 12 goals and 5 assists, ranking second in the league. 

On the other end of the field, Mary Washington is led by a pair of rookie offensive players in Lindsey Hendrickson and Abby Zimmerman. Hendrickson leads the team in scoring with 16 points on seven goals and two assists, all while coming off the bench. Zimmerman ranks second on the team with 13 points on four goals and five assists while leading the team with 31 total shots. 

CNU is coming off a 2-0 win over Salisbury earlier this week that saw Maddie Cochran and Cook notch goals to extend the team's conference winning streak to 18 games. It is the second longest conference winning streak in program history, short only of a 21-game roll from October 18, 2003 to September 30, 2006. Mary Washington is riding a five-game winning streak since opening conference play, outscoring league opponents 12-1. 

The Captains own an 8-3-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a 5-1 win over the Eagles last season in Fredericksburg.

Following Saturday's contest, the Captains will wrap up the 2018 regular season at St. Mary's College of Maryland on Wednesday, October 24.