NFHCA Preseason Coaches Poll

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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport field hockey team was slotted 14th in the NFHCA National Preseason Coaches Poll and will kick off the 2021 campaign on Wednesday at 6 p.m. when the Captains host Bridgewater in a non-conference showdown at Jennings Family Stadium.

Entering the year, the Captains earned 467 points in the national poll, which was released on Tuesday afternoon by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. It marks the 30th consecutive poll in which Christopher Newport has been ranked in the top-20 dating back to the beginning of the 2017 campaign. It also stands as the 14th consecutive season in which the Captains have earned votes in the preseason rankings.

Facing lofty expectations, Christopher Newport will engage in several nationally-ranked battles during the upcoming year as four of the squad's opponents are currently listed in the top-15. Among the top-flight competition, the Captains are scheduled to face No. 10 Kean this weekend at the Connie Harnum Classic in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, while a trip to No. 3 Johns Hopkins awaits on September 18. Meanwhile, back-to-back bouts with No. 13 Lynchburg and No. 5 Salisbury highlight the home schedule in late October.

Entering the year, Middlebury is currently ranked first in the nation after claiming the most recent NCAA title in 2019. Meanwhile, Franklin & Marshall, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, and Salisbury round out the top-five.

The Captains will face their first test this season on Wednesday when Bridgewater arrives at Jennings Family Stadium for a 6 p.m. tilt. That competition will mark the program's first official field hockey game in over 660 days after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 season.

Prior to a modified exhibition campaign in the spring, Christopher Newport was last in action in 2019 when the Captains pieced together a 14-5 record and finished the year slotted 13th in the NFHCA National Coaches Poll.

Christopher Newport welcomes back three All-Conference performers from 2019, including first-team All-Region honoree Abby Asuncion. Additionally, Izzy Diz and Marcella Sabbagh earned All-League nods two years ago, while senior standouts Mauri Ware and Nyla Lewis also started all 19 games.

Among the returning statistical leaders, Asuncion led the Captains with 14 goals and 29 total points in 2019, while Ware was second with 11 strikes. Defensively, Sabbagh had six defensive saves, Diz had three, and Gabi Gray posted a 1.26 goals-against-average and .750 save percentage during her five appearances between the pipes.

On the other side of the field, Bridgewater enters the year ranked sixth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. During the spring, the Eagles competed in a shortened season and compiled a 4-6 record while reaching the Quarterfinals of the conference playoffs.

Among Bridgewater's returning standouts, Claire Ashley was a third-team All-Conference honoree and helped anchor the team's back line while ranking among the league-leaders with five defensive saves last year. Meanwhile, Caroline Quigley is the squad's top returner on the offensive side after posting seven goals in the spring.

Following Wednesday's tilt, Christopher Newport will head north for battles against Susquehanna and No. 10 Kean at the Connie Harnum Classic beginning on Saturday.

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