Live Stats // Video Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After capping off a strong regular season, the 15th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will open up the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament on Sunday at 2 p.m. when the squad hosts Frostburg State in a first-round tilt at Captains Turf Field.
CNU earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs after finishing with an 11-5 record, including a 3-2 ledger in league play. Frostburg State comes in as the No. 6 seed after capping off the regular season at 2-16 overall and 0-5 against conference foes.
Tickets for Sunday's game will be $5 for adults and $3 for students and children.
For those fans unable to attend the game, 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.
During the regular season, Christopher Newport led the CAC in save percentage (.829) and ranked second in goals-against-average (0.85). The squad also ranks among the top-15 nationally in both categories entering the playoffs, while CNU's eight shutouts are tied for the 11th most in the country.
On an individual level,
Olivia Davis finished the regular season with a league-best .813 save percentage, while her 0.91 goals-against-average stands second in the conference. Meanwhile, on the offensive end,
Rachael Allshouse and
Jackie Kotoriy are tied for the league-lead with seven assists, and
Courtney Fiest is third in goals (13), assists (6), and points (32). She's the only player in the CAC to rank in the top-three in all three categories.
Especially effective at the end of the regular season, Fiest has at least one point in five of her last six appearances, and Allshouse has seven total points since October 17.
Frostburg State has been led this year by Sam Coffey, who ranks first on the team with six goals and 14 points, including a five-point explosion during FSU's victory over Hood on October 9. Taylor Hackett also boasts a team-high four assists, including a helper on Ashleigh Myers' strike against York (Pa.) in the squad's regular season finale. On the defensive side, Emy Nelson is second in the conference with five defensive saves, while Sierra Smizer has a .726 save percentage and 164 total stops. That leads the CAC and ranks eighth in the NCAA.
CNU and Frostburg State last squared off on October 20 with the Captains registering a 5-0 victory in Newport News. During that contest, Allshouse established a new career-high with three assists, while five different players found the back of the cage. On the other side, Smizer made 14 saves for the Bobcats, who also notched a pair of defensive stops to help slow down the high-powered Christopher Newport attack.
Overall, the two programs have met 16 times with the Captains holding a 15-1 edge in the series. Sunday's match-up will mark their first-ever postseason battle.
The winner of Sunday's game will advance to the CAC semifinals for a showdown at York (Pa.) on Wednesday.
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