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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team will open NCAA Tournament play on Saturday, November 10 against the College of Staten Island (12-6-0) at 5:00 pm. The Captains (17-1-0) are riding a 12-game winning streak heading into the team's 11th postseason appearance, including the sixth home game in the opening round over those 11 seasons.
The matchup will be played at Captains Field on the campus of CNU, with live stats and video available at CNUsports.com for fans who can not attend in person. Links to both can be found at the top of this page or on the CNU women's soccer schedule online. Ticket prices are $6 for adults and $3 for children with CNU students admitted free of charge with a valid student ID.
CNU has posted one of the finest seasons in program history heading into the national tournament, winning 17 of their 18 games while scoring multiple goals in all but one game. The potent offense has been led by two-time Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year
Gabby Gillis, with 38 points, and sophomore first team All-Conference selection
Riley Cook, with 48 points. En route to the team's third straight conference championship, the Captains outscored opponents, 8-1, including a pair of shutouts.
Defensively, CNU has been led by a quartet of All-Conference selections in defenders
Lulu Manley,
Keiley McCarthy,
Shaye Doherty, and goalkeeper
Haley Eiser. The back line and netminder have allowed just 10 goals in 18 games while boasting a goals-against average of 0.55. The Captains have allowed just 7.3 shots per game to opposing offenses, while the CNU attack ranks third nationally in total attempts with over 25 per game.
The Captains hosted the first- and second-round matchup last season, earning a 6-0 win over Cabrini in the opener before falling, 2-1 to nationally-ranked Lynchburg in the second round. Under sixth-year head coach
Dan Weiler, the Captains have reached the NCAA Tournament five times.
The CSI Dolphins come into the matchup with a 12-6-0 overall record after winning the CUNYAC conference championship. Staten Island defeated John Jay, 6-2, in the conference championship to secure the team's fourth straight NCAA Division III Championship appearance.
The offense is led by Samantha LaValle, with 43 points on 21 goals and one assist. Lauren Smith and Mirsade Pelinkovic also have scored over 20 points this season with 15 goals and 15 assists between them. Defensively, the Dolphins have allowed 31 goals in 18 games.
This will be the first ever matchup between the two programs. The winning team will advance to face the winner between Scranton and Arcadia, played at Captains Field at 7:30 p.m. The second round kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 11.
