While Christopher Newport looks forward to the return of intercollegiate competitions, our friends at TowneBank are partnering with CNUsports.com to spend some time throughout the fall semester looking back at a few of the more memorable moments in the storied history of the athletic department. Over the course of the next three months, the Captains will honor the anniversary of three dozen record-setting accomplishments, championship-clinching victories, and other historic events in order to celebrate the past while preparing for even more great moments in the future.
 
AT A GLANCE
 
After leading the finest single season offense in program history, senior All-American forward Jalon Brown logged the final goal of his highly-acclaimed career to propel Christopher Newport back to the National Quarterfinals on November 23, 2014. While the Captains took on 12^th-ranked Whitworth in the sectional round of the NCAA Tournament, Brown's game-winning goal was the 20^th of his season and the punctuation mark of a tremendous career. He and the Captains advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight with a 3-2 victory against the Pirates
 
BACKSTORY
Jalon Brown's career opened as a full-time starter his freshman season, adding depth to the offense with a strong, but modest scoring campaign with 11 points on four goals and three assists. Starting his sophomore season, however, the Yorktown, Va. native proved a record-shattering force on the offensive end of the field. He set program records for scoring by a sophomore and junior with 14 goals in each season and raced up the all-time points chart with 39- and 37-point seasons, respectively.
 
The mantel began to crowd with individual honors straight away as he was named the USA South Athletic Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore and then added Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year plaudits a year later. His breakout campaign as a second-year player led to first team NSCAA All-American and All-Region plaques; he then followed that up with a second team All-American certificate in 2013.
 
While his individual accolades continued to mount, he came into his senior season ranking 8^th all-time in scoring and 7^th in goals scored. Both records were within his sights, but would take a stellar senior season to etch his name atop both charts. With a veteran squad surrounding him, a stellar season is just what he and the Captains provided in 2014.  
 
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
As the season went on, Whitworth became one of the top defensive teams in the nation. Prior to the matchup with the Captains, the Pirates had not allowed a goal in its last five games and hadn't conceded a goal in 485 minutes of play. During the shutout streak, Whitworth had limited opponents to just 10 total shots on-goal and more than doubled their shutout total for the season with nine.
 
While the Pirates had a phenomenal regular season and notched their season among the best in program history, the level was raised during the postseason when the defense took control. Perhaps most impressively, the five clean sheets all came away from home with a scoreless draw at Willamette followed by wins at Linfield (5-0), Whitman (3-0), and versus Covenant (1-0) and Berry (2-0) in neutral site bouts in the NCAA Tournament.
 
MATCH RECAP
While the icy conditions in Gambier, Ohio delayed the start of the NCAA Round of 16 matchup by 24 hours, it did nothing to cool down the red-hot offense of Christopher Newport. CNU won, 3-2, over the 12^th-ranked Whitworth Pirates and advanced to the program's fourth sectional championship game.   
 
The Captains, one of the nation's premier offensive teams in Division III, became the first team to score against the Pirates defense in nearly a month and was only the second team all season to score more than twice against Whitworth. CNU ended Whitworth's campaign with a 17-2-3 record by handing the Pirates just their second loss of the season.
 
While a pair of first-half goals led to an early Captains' lead, it was an imperative insurance goal early in the second half that would hold up as the gamewinner. Senior Jalon Brown slammed home a header off the left post in the 52^nd minute on a beautiful cross from Ryan Balfour. The tally was the 20^th goal of Brown's season as he became just the third player in program history to eclipse 20 goals in a single year. It was also a record-breaking goal on the career charts as it was his 52^nd career score, good enough to pass Ian MacPherson as the all-time leader.  
 
The goal proved pivotal as Whitworth would add a second tally in the 71^st minute of action, but could not convert on an equalizer in the remaining 19 minutes. The Captains defense was sensational, stopping a rare free kick inside the box on back-to-back attempts in the 64^th minute. They then withstood a barrage late in the game as the Pirates attempted to tie, but Alec Faulkner, Tommy O'Neal, Stephen Landry, and Sean Christein led the way on the back line.
 
Offensively, CNU added three more goals to the season total setting a new program record for goals scored in a single season. In the process, the Captains also set a new single-season scoring mark with 199 points on the year.
 
POSTSCRIPT
The game-winning goal against Whitworth would be the final collegiate goal of Brown's prolific career. He was rewarded with his third straight NSCAA All-American honor, becoming just the second player in program history to earn three All-American nods in his career.
 
He crowned his all-time great career with one of the finest single-season performances in program history. A first team All-Region selection, the Captains' leading scorer picked up his third straight  Conference Player of the Year honor to become the first player in program history to net three selections in his career. He scored 47 points on 20 goals and seven assists, leading the CAC in points and goals scored. Brown ranked ninth nationally in goals scored and tenth in total points while leading a record-breaking team offense that ranked third nationally in both categories. The 47-point effort is the second highest in a single season, as are the 20 goals scored.
 
During the year, Brown had a handful of truly remarkable individual accomplishments including a pair of hat tricks and five game-winning goals. At the end of his four-year tenure, Brown set the scoring mark at 134 career points.
 
He helped lead the Captains to the second most wins in program history, and one of the finest overall marks at 19-3-5 for a 79.6% winning percentage. The Captains scored three road victories in the CAC Championship Tournament, capturing the first league title for men's soccer in the CAC, and led the Captains to their fourth NCAA Tournament National Quarterfinal appearance.
 
Following his career at CNU, Brown would play professionally for one season in Australia and was named the PS4 National Premier Leagues Player of the Year. He also went on to compete as part of Lionsbridge FC in Newport News for one year and remains one of the program's all-time leading scorers. He has since taken the pledge to protect his country through service in the United States Air Force as a pilot.

On the other end of the field, Brown's best friend Alec Faulkner also went on to play professionally in Australia. He earned All-Region honors after yet another strong season defending the goal for the Captains. He wrapped up his illustrious career by leaving the field for just 11 minutes this season, playing a team-high 2,524 minutes of action. The anchor of a solid CNU defense, Faulkner helped the Captains post nine shutouts and hold opponents to just 7.9 shots per game. One of the best defenders in program history, Faulkner and the rest of the back line helped post a 1.17 goals against average in front of a first-year goalkeeper. He broke the season record for minutes played and ranks second all-time in career minutes. His role in ushering the Captains back to the Elite Eight could not be minimized, as the central defender made game-saving plays all year long for head coach Steve Shaw. 

Rounding out the 2014 All-Region selections was midfielder Harry Nodwell, who would go on to become just the second multi-sport All-American in CNU Athletics history when he garnered the award in men's soccer and men's golf during his senior year. In 2014, the sophomore missed three games to an injury, but still managed to rank sixth on the team in scoring with five goals and two assists out of the midfield. A dangerous center-midfielder, the Devon, England native keyed many scoring plays that didn't end up in the book as assists. He picked up first team All-Conference honors in his first year in the CAC and registered the deciding goal against ninth-ranked Salisbury University in the CAC Semifinals. 

Other key members on the 2014 squad included future All-American midfielder Jimmy Grace alongside a handful of other dangerous scoring threats in Patrick Burns, Alex Makumbi, Henry Gotay, and Ryan Balfour. That quintet scored a combined 95 points over the course of the season. 
 
As a team, the Captains finished the year ranked No. 7 nationally by the NSCAA. Offensively, head coach Steve Shaw's 2014 Captains ranked third nationally in total points and total goals, setting program records in both categories. It was the first and remains the only time in program history the Captains' offense has scored more than 200 points in a single year.
 
For a full listing of the fall 2020 features published to date, click here.