VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- After being crowned the first player in program history to earn first team All-American honors in 2017, Christopher Newport senior Gabby Gillis wasted no time backing up that accolade with a great start to 2018. Gillis scored both goals as the 17th-ranked CNU women's soccer team came from behind to down 9th-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse in a top-25 showdown to open the season on Friday night. 

The game was delayed due to electrical storms throughout the Hampton Roads area, forcing the hosts, Virginia Wesleyan University, to adjust the Atlantic Orthopedics Tournament schedule. When the teams finally took the field in one of the nation's most anticipated games of the opening weekend, it would be at Birdsong Field, the Marlins' turf field used primarily for field hockey and lacrosse. 

After the delay, it was the Eagles that took quick control of the match, scoring on the first shot of the game less than two minutes in. Kaitlyn Villars connected on the goal to give Wisconsin-La Crosse a 1-0 advantage in the neutral site contest. In the early going, the Eagles picked up another shot on-goal from Villars and a corner kick in the first 11 minutes. 

The Captains defense held after the early surge, and the offense took control. As the late stages of the first half waned, CNU got shots on-frame from Riley Cook and Hailey Price, forcing the Eagles keeper Lily Brock to make a pair of saves. Despite the late rally, the Captains still trailed, 1-0, into halftime. 

Gillis would put the Captains on the board for the first time in 2018 early in the second half when she notched the equalizer off an assist from sophomore Maxine Borris. Just under two minutes into the second stanza, Gillis connected on the feed from her sophomore teammate to knot the score at 1-1. 

Both teams missed chances in the middle stages of the second half with Borris and Gillis each forcing Brock to make saves in goal. Then, with less than a minute remaining, the Captains came up with a dramatic winner. 

Junior Carson Pokorny, already third all-time in career assists, earned her first helper of the season when she set up Gillis with 53 seconds showing on the clock. With the game-winning goal, Gillis notched her 25th career tally and 7th career winning strike. She is just the 11th player in program history to reach the 25-goal plateau, and ranks 9th all-time in gamewinners with seven. 

For the game, the Captains outshot their nationally-ranked foe by a final count of 11-6, including a 7-3 advantage in shots on-goal. CNU earned five corner kicks and allowed just three. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Haley Eiser earned her first career win for the Captains with two saves in the contest. She allowed one goal while playing the complete game for the victory. 

CNU will return to action to close out the Virginia Wesleyan tournament on Saturday, September 1 as they take on the College of Saint Benedict. The Bennies suffered a 1-0 setback in their opener Friday night against the host Marlins.