NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Looking to win their third straight Capital Athletic Conference Championship, the top-seeded Christopher Newport women's soccer team will host #2-seeded Mary Washington Saturday night at 6:00 pm with the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship on the line.
Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com as the Captains (16-1-0) will face the Eagles (12-3-1) for the first time in the CAC Championship. Admission for fans in attendance is $5 for adults and $3 for children. CNU students with a valid ID will be admitted free of charge.
The Captains have won back-to-back women's soccer conference championships for their first two CAC titles and eighth conference title in program history. The Eagles have won a league-leading 13 women's soccer championships with their last coming in 2009.
CNU and Mary Washington have met twice in the CAC Tournament, in the 2015 and 2016 semifinals. The Eagles won the first matchup, 1-0, and the Captains won, 2-0, the following season. Saturday's bout will be the 14th all-time matchup between the two teams, with CNU owning a 9-3-1 advantage in the series, including a 7-1 win in Fredericksburg earlier this season.
With her second hat trick of the season, CNU sophomore
Riley Cook led the charge in the regular season win over Mary Washington. The second-year star has had an historic season, setting several program records including the single season scoring mark. No player has scored as many points as Cook, who has piled up 46 to this point on 20 goals and six assists. She ranks number two in the nation with nine game-winning scoring tallies this year.
Having a career year in her own right, first team All-American midfielder
Gabby Gillis has scored 38 points on 15 goals and 8 assists. Gillis has scored a goal in three straight games and six of the last eight contests. Helping facilitate the offense, sophomore
Maxine Borris has registered a league-leading 11 assists, ranking as the fourth best single season in program history.
Defensively, the Captains have a league-best 0.53 goals-against average as the back line of
Lulu Manley,
Shaye Doherty, and
Keiley McCarthy have held opponents to just 7.0 shots per game. Rookie
Sabrina Gillis leads all non-defenders in minutes played and has also been a pivotal part of the dominating defense out of the midfield. In goal, sophomore
Haley Eiser ranks in the top 50 nationally in goals-against average with a 0.60 mark.
Mary Washington enters the championship contest ranked second in the league defensively, with a 1.35 goals-against average this season. Rookie Gracie Williams anchors the back line in front of senior goalkeeper Kelcie Macomber, who has started 14 games this season. Macomber has played in nearly 1200 minutes with a 1.31 GAA and .646 save percentage.
Offensively, the Eagles are led by a pair of freshmen in the scoring column, as Abby Zimmerman and Lindsey Hendrickson have had strong first seasons. Zimmerman has scored 23 points with 8 goals and 7 assists, while Hendrickson has added 19 points on 8 goals and 3 assists.
The winning team will be crowned 2018 champion of the Capital Athletic Conference and will earn the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship Tournament. The NCAA selection show will be on NCAA.com this Monday, November 5 at 1:30 p.m.
