SALEM, Va. -- In his first career start, junior forward
Kobe Smith wasted no time making it a good one when he cashed in on the eventual game-winning goal just over five minutes into the match. The 22nd-ranked Christopher Newport men's soccer team improved to 2-0-2 with a 4-0 win over Methodist University (1-3-0) in a neutral site bout on Saturday afternoon.
The Captains scored four goals by four different players in Saturday's non-conference tilt, including Smith's gamewinner. Freshman
Jason LaViola took advantage of a defensive miscue for his first career goal for another first-half goal and CNU added two more quick ones at the start of the second half to put the game away.
With the victory, Christopher Newport extended the team's unbeaten streak to 11 games, going 7-0-4 dating back to October 23, 2019.
Early in the match,
Clark Chapman outworked a Methodist defender to get a look at a cross into the box from the left side. His pass found the center of the goalmouth beyond the reach of the goalkeeper and Smith was there first, walking the ball into the goal off of his chest.
With an early 1-0 advantage, the Captains continued to apply offensive pressure throughout the first half. Christopher Newport outshot Methodist, 10-1, including a 7-0 advantage in shots on-goal. Another of those seven came in the 32nd minute when rookie
Jason LaViola wisely stayed with a play that was over-touched by the Monarchs defense. The bad pass split ta pair of defenders and LaViola sprinted to the ball in the box and dribbled by the goalkeeper for the easy score.
The momentum carried over into the start of the second half as the Captains attack poured two more into the back of the net. Just over a minute into the stanza,
Chris Schram scored his second goal of the season and under two minutes later
Ethan Larson capped the scoring with his first.
Christopher Newport outshot Methodist, 15-6, including a 10-3 lead in shots on-goal. A pair of CNU goalkeepers split the shutout as
Cole Irvin earned the win after a clean first half and
Tomi Prizzia turned away three shots to ensure the scoreboard stayed at zero.
Next weekend, the Captains will travel to Chicago for a pair of matches as they take on the University of Chicago on Friday, September 17 and North Park University on Sunday, September 19.
