Tournament Central

BALTIMORE, Md. -- After earning new life with an at-large berth into the 2019 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship, the seventh-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team will take on Worcester State University (11-7-2) in a neutral site matchup on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. The Captains (15-2-3) are making the program's fourth consecutive appearance in the postseason tournament and will play their opening round game on the campus of Johns Hopkins University. 

The host Blue Jays will face Penn State Berks in the opener at 5:00 pm and the two advancing teams will face off in the second round at 7:00 pm on Sunday, November 17. 

All three games will be played at Homewood Field on the Johns Hopkins with admission prices set at $6 for adults and $3 for students. Children under two will be admitted free. For directions, ticket information, and more, fans are encouraged to check out the Tournament Central page hosted by Johns Hopkins University at the top of this page. 

Christopher Newport reached the postseason tournament with an at-large bid after falling in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals to Mary Washington, 0-1, who would go on to win the league title. Despite the loss, the Captains feature one of the most well-rounded teams in the nation ranking in the top-25 in both scoring offense and goals-against average. Christopher Newport is one of just eight programs nationally that rank in the top 25 in both categories with the 16th-ranked scoring offense (3.35 goals per game) and the 21st best defense (0.50 goals-against average). 

Leading the charge has been junior Riley Cook, the 2019 CAC Offensive Player of the Year, with a program-record 26 goals this season. She's added three assists and has 55 of the Captains' 187 points this season to account for nearly 30% of the Christopher Newport attack. Junior Madison Cochran also garnered first team All-Conference honors with 18 points on seven goals and four assists while sophomore Emily Talotta has added three goals and 12 helpers for 18 points of her own. 

Defensively, seniors Keiley McCarthy and Shaye Doherty each hauled in first team All-CAC plaudits after leading an historic run for the back this season. McCarthy was named the league Defensive Player of the Year after starting all 20 games and leading the team in minutes played. The duo plays in front of All-Region goalkeeper Haley Eiser, who has logged a 0.51 goals-against average and nine shutouts. Eiser has an .859 save percentage and ranks among the top-30 nationally in GAA.

The first round matchup will be the first ever for Christopher Newport against Worcester State and just the second against current members of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC). The first game against the league was the Captains' season-opener of this year when they toppled Westfield State, 4-0, in the Virginia Wesleyan tournament.

The Lancers won the MASCAC championship behind a contingency of five All-Conference players. Junior midfielder Maddie Fong and sophomore Hannah Foster each received first team All-League accolades to lead the way for Worcester State in 2019. Ali Maldonado was the 2018 Conference Player of the Year and repeated as an All-MASCAC pick this season after leading the sqaud in scoring with 14 goals and 28 total points. 

For fans unable to watch the game in person, Johns Hopkins will provide a live video webcast and live stats with links available at CNUsports.com, as well as on the tournament central page at the top of this story.