NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The unbeaten Christopher Newport women's soccer team will look to close out it's impressive regular season on a high note as they take on the University of Lynchburg (13-3-0) at 5:00 pm on Saturday night. The Captains (13-0-1) host the Hornets at Captains Field for Senior Night in the regular season finale.
Live stats and live video will be available for fans unable to attend the match, which will be played immediately following the Christopher Newport football game on Homecoming Weekend. Links to both can be found on the women's soccer schedule at CNUsports.com.
Prior to the match, seven seniors will be honored in a special Senior Night ceremony recognizing the contributions to the program over the last four seasons. This year's senior class includes
Riley Cook,
Ryanne Davidson,
Haley Eiser,
Lauren Fitzpatrick,
Payton Fiel,
Sabrina Gillis, and
Abby Harrigan. The group helped lead Christopher Newport to it's first NCAA National Semifinals in 2018 and has already guaranteed they will graduate with the fewest number of losses by any class in program history. Heading into Saturday's bout, the seven have been magnificent, helping contribute to an overall record of 69-6-5 (.894).
The fourth-ranked Captains are returning to the pitch after a 1-1 draw against Mary Washington on Wednesday night. The tie improved CNU's unbeaten streak to 14 games, marking the fourth longest run in program history. In the game,
Riley Cook extended her goal scoring streak to seven straight games which stands as the second longest to her own record 11 straight set in 2018.
Cook has led the offense all season long, scoring 31 points on 14 goals and three assists. She has become the first player in CNU soccer history, men's or women's, to log four 30-point campaigns, and continues to prove herself as one of the most dangerous finishers in the nation. Among active players, she is third in the nation with 80 goals, trailing only Michigan State's Ava Cook and St. Scholastica's Morgan Friday by a single goal over the Captains' all-time leader.
Saturday's matchup pits two of the nation's top defenses against another as Christopher Newport enters the match ranking 12th nationally in goals-against average (0.35) and Lynchburg counters with a defense that ranks 25th nationally (0.43). Combined, the two teams have allowed just 12 goals in just shy of 2,750 minutes played.
Following the non-conference matchup, the Captains will turn their focus to postseason play as they travel to Salisbury University for next weekend's Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship. Seedings will be announced on Monday with the first round played on November 4, Semifinals on November 5, and the championship game on Saturday, November 6.
