NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Facing blustery conditions against a tough opponent in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship opening round, the 23rd-ranked Christopher Newport survived to advance with a 1-0 win over Eastern University (11-10-1) at Jennings Family Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Captains improved to 14-2-4 with the team's first postseason win since 2016 and will advance to face Swarthmore College in Sunday's second round. 

The postseason win was a historical marker for head coach Justin Chezem, who became just the third Christopher Newport head coach to win an NCAA Tournament game in his first season at the helm for the Captains. Chezem joins baseball head coach John Harvell and women's basketball guide Bill Broderick as the only head coaches to advance in the NCAA Championship during the first year of their CNU coaching tenure. 

With winds whipping around the turf-field facility in excess of 30 miles per hour, the offensive chances were limited in the first round action. Both teams struggled to find rhythm with the ball dancing mid-air on long pass attempts and soaring downwind on finesse attempts. Christopher Newport and Eastern combined for just five shots in the first half as both worked to figure out the impact of the weather. 

It was the Captains that utilized the weather to their advantage when Eastern goalkeeper Anthony Hitchcock tried to deliver a punt downfield early in the second half. His boot caught a gust of nor'easter swirl and the ball dropped just in front of his last line of defense. Christopher Newport junior forward Justin Wilson saw the ball swinging back and won the 50-50 challenge with his defender to get loose behind the defense with the ball. Wilson wasted no time once free, sliding a hard low shot under the sliding goalkeeper for the game's lone tally. 

Facing elimination, the Eagles tried to push everything forward, but that opened up more opportunities for the Captains attack as well. Christopher Newport nearly doubled their lead in the 78th minute when Wilson sent a low pass into the box for rookie Chris Garbarini. The freshman was free for a hard shot, but a successful recovery by an Eastern defender came just in time to block the attempt. 

On the defensive side of the ball, senior Derek Cook led a unit that did not allow a shot on-goal in the second half and gave up just three total attempts in the game. Justin PIercy saved the two tries on frame to secure his seventh shutout of the season. Cook's back line was rounded out by Khari Jones, Daniel Hulett, and Davis Pillow. 

Christopher Newport has now won at least one game in three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and in seven of their 11 all-time postseason events. The Captains will host Swarthmore College at 3;00 p.m. on Sunday after the Garnet played to a 2-2 draw against 17th-ranked Roanoke College, advancing 4-2 on penalty kicks, in the other first round match in Newport News.