SALEM, Va. -- The 12th-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team is back on the road Thursday, set to take on Roanoke College (1-1-2) in non-conference action at 5:00 pm. Video and live stats will be available for the action, set to kickoff from Donald J. Kerr Stadium in Salem.
The Captains are off to a 4-0-0 start for just the third time in program history and have matched the second-longest win streak to start a season. Against Roanoke, CNU owns an 8-5 advantage in the all-time series, including a 4-1 win over the Maroons last season.
After moving to No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches National Rankings this week, CNU maintained it's position as No. 10 in the D3soccer.com Top 25. The Captains are coming off a 3-0 win at previously unbeaten Arcadia in their last contest, shutting out the Knights on Monday afternoon after a 10-day layoff due to the effects of Hurricane Florence. Roanoke is also returning to the field after a long break, having not played in 11 days after suffering a 2-0 setback to No. 11 Carnegie Mellon on September 9.
The CNU offense has been leading the early surge this season, scoring 3.50 goals per game, ranking among the top scoring offenses in the nation. Five different players have scored for the Captains, led by senior midfielder
Gabby Gillis with five goals and three assists so far this season. She has moved up to 8th in career goals (28) and career points (68).
Defensively, CNU has allowed just two goals in the first four games for a 0.50 goals-against average. Sophomore
Haley Eiser has started three games in goal, in front of a defensive back line led by juniors
Shaye Doherty,
Keiley McCarthy, and sophomore
Lulu Manley. The Captains' defenders are holding opponents to 6.2 shots per game.
Roanoke has scored three goals in their first four games, with three different Maroons finding the back of the net. A trio of sophomores, Lucy Perry, Ellie Schad, and Tori Young, have led the offense. Junior goalkeeper Chris Martin has made 19 saves and owns a 0.76 goals-against average as the Roanoke defense has been strong in their first four games.
Live stats and a live video webcast will be available, presented by Roanoke, with links found at the women's soccer schedule on CNUsports.com.
Following Thursday's contest, CNU will take on nationally-ranked Lynchburg on Wednesday, September 26 at 6:00 pm. The Captains were originally scheduled to play Methodist next, but the Monarchs have postponed that matchup due to Hurricane Florence.
