Live Stats // Video Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The 17th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will kick off the postseason on Wednesday at 1 p.m. when the Captains host Centre in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Jennings Family Stadium.
Coming into the midweek match-up, Christopher Newport is currently 11-5, including 7-1 at home. Meanwhile, Centre is 14-3 and 5-3 on the road.
Tickets for Wednesday's contest will be $5 for adults and $3 for children. CNU students will be admitted free with a valid student ID.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
Christopher Newport enters the postseason having won eight of its last nine contests dating back to September 25. During that run, the Captains posted five shutouts, including victories over No. 18 Lynchburg and No. 20 Salisbury, who both earned bids to the NCAA Tournament. Incredibly, during the last nine games, the team has out-scored its opposition, 35-7.
Aided by its recent run of dominance, the Captains jumped up a spot in the final NFHCA National Coaches Poll of the year, which was released on Tuesday afternoon. The squad earned 160 points in the poll and settled into the No. 17 position after holding down the 18th spot last week.
On an individual level, Christopher Newport boasts seven All-Conference performers, including Coast-to-Coast Offensive Player of the Year
Abby Asuncion. The junior star leads the team with 13 goals and 29 points. Overall, she has four multi-goal efforts, including a pair of hat-tricks this season.
Along with Asuncion,
Mauri Ware has 10 goals, while
Katie Abendschoen has eight tallies. That total is tied for the third-most by a freshman in school history. Fellow first-year stars
Lainey Pratzner and
Maddison Steele have five goals apiece as well. Together, they are the first freshman trio to register at least five goals in the same season since legendary figures Ashley Hay, Brittney Touchard, and Samantha Howard accomplished the feat during the 2004 campaign.
Meanwhile, on the back line,
Marcella Sabbagh picked up her sixth defensive save of the season in the Coast-to-Coast Conference Championship against Salisbury on Saturday. That total is tied for the fifth-highest by a Captain in program history. Her 12 career stops also place her third in school lore.
Along with Sabbagh,
Izzy Diz,
Nyla Lewis, and
Brooke Billhimer also garnered first-team All-League accolades for their work on the defensive side of the ball. Billhimer was also celebrated as the Coast-to-Coast Conference Rookie of the Year for her work during the regular season.
Centre is making its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament after earning an at-large bid out of the Southern Athletic Association. The Colonels boast one of the nation's elite defensive units, which ranks eighth in the country in goals-against-average with a microscopic 0.79 mark. The squad has also recorded nine shutouts, which stands as the 11th-highest total in the nation.
On an individual level, Sienna Joseph sits seventh in the NCAA with a 0.71 goals-against-average. She also sports a .735 save percentage and has helped the Colonels allow one goal or less in 13 of their 17 outings this season. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Megan Coomes leads the team with 11 goals and 30 points. Ellie Dunham also has 10 strikes, while Meredith Wickenheiser has eight assists.
Centre and Christopher Newport have previously met eight times with the Captains holding a 7-1 edge in the series. The Colonels won the most recent meeting after posting a 2-1 shootout victory in 2019. Christopher Newport welcomes back five starters from that contest, including Ware, who scored the team's lone goal. Meanwhile, Centre has four starters back from the 2019 squad.
Wednesday's meeting will also mark the second time that the two programs have squared off in the NCAA Tournament. Christopher Newport posted a 1-0 win over the Colonels in the second round of the 2013 playoffs. In addition to both head coaches, current assistant coach
Marlene Lichty is the only holdover from that battle. She was a starting midfielder for the Captains during that showdown.
The winner of Wednesday's tilt will advance to the Sweet 16 for a meeting with the survivor of the Bowdoin - Eastern Connecticut State first-round match-up. The second and third rounds will be hosted by Johns Hopkins beginning on Saturday.
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