Live Stats // Video Stream
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- Hitting the road for its final non-conference battle of the regular season, the 14th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will head to No. 5 Vassar on Monday at 6 p.m. for a showdown at Weinberg Turf Field.
Entering the game, the Captains sit at 9-3 on the season, including 3-3 away from Newport News. Vassar is 10-1 with a 6-1 mark at home. Impressive in their cozy confines, the Brewers have won 25 of their past 26 home games dating back to the start of the 2017 campaign.
For those fans unable to make the trip, Vassar will provide live stats and a video stream of the action at VassarAthletics.com. Directs links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
Christopher Newport is coming off of a well-balanced 6-2 victory over Mary Washington in the conference opener on Friday. On the offensive side,
Abby Asuncion became the fourth true freshman in program history to register a hat-trick, while
Mauri Ware chipped in with two goals and an assist. Fellow first-year Captain
Morgan Arthur also found the back of the cage, and
Rachel Cooke handed out a pair of assists.
With her performance on Friday, Cooke moved into the top-10 all-time in career assists (15) and minutes played (4,199) in program history.
Also making some history against the Eagles,
Kennedy Johnson started her 50th consecutive game on Friday, making her just the fifth Captain to start the first 50 games of her career. Fittingly, she made the most of her time on the field with a pair of defensive saves, becoming only the 15th player in program history to register at least two in a single game.
Equally effective on the back line,
Marcella Sabbagh and
Izzy Diz also added defensive saves. Meanwhile,
Mary Grace Humes made her first collegiate start and picked up the victory after notching eight saves during a starring role between the pipes.
Overall this season, Christopher Newport ranks 24th in the nation in goals-against-average (1.14) and 10th in defensive saves (11).
On the other side of the field, Vassar features an equally stingy defensive unit. The Brewers lead the NCAA with a 0.63 goals-against-average and rank fourth with 14 defensive saves. The squad has six shutouts this year, including five in its last seven outings.
On an individual level, Liz Rotolo and Jules Smith have split time between the pipes. Smith currently leads the NCAA with a 0.54 goals-against-average and a .921 save percentage, while Rotolo is also in the top-10 in both categories. Ally Aquilina-Piscitello is also third with seven defensive saves. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Christina Lopez sits 10th in the country with eight assists and is tied with Grace Amell for the team-lead in points with 10.
Monday's contest will mark the second meeting between the two programs after Christopher Newport upended Vassar, 2-1, last year. That setback marked the only regulation loss of the season for the Brewers, who eventually advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling in the eighth round of a penalty shootout against No. 7 TCNJ.
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