NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Freshly minted the 6th-ranked team in the nation, the Christopher Newport women's soccer team made good on that billing with a dominant 4-1 win over previously undefeated Roanoke College (5-1-0) on Wednesday night. The Captain improved to 4-0-0 with four first-half goals to pull away from the Maroons early in the match. 

With the win, CNU capped a short three-match homestand with a perfect record and is now 4-0 for the sixth time in program history, including the last three straight seasons. Roanoke, receiving votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches Division III Women's Soccer National Rankings, falls to 5-1-0 with their first setback. 

Forward Sarah Smith scored the game-winning goal, her second of the year, in the Captains' first run down the field. Just two and a half minutes into the match, Smith scored for the third time in four games with an absolute rocket from 20 yards out. The Norfolk, Va. native beat a defender just outside of the box and then smashed a left-footed laser high into the left side of the goal. 

In her first four games with the Captains, Smith is the early scoring leader with three goals and an assist for seven points so far this year. 

With the early lead, Christopher Newport continued to attack and found the second goal of the match in the 12th minute of play. On a short corner kick by Riley Cook, Emily Talotta started to work down the goal line against her defender. With a sliver of daylight, Talotta lifted a pass just over the outstretched hands of the Roanoke goalkeeper and on the back post, Jessica Zimmermann towered over the rest of the field with a powerful header into the open netting. 

Zimmermann scored her fourth career goal on Talotta's 14th career assist. In just two seasons active with the Captains, Talotta has climbed into the top-15 all-time at Christopher Newport in total assists and ranks number one all-time in assists per game (0.53). 

Christopher Newport would tack on two more goals in the last five minutes of the first half. The second corner kick goal of the match came in the 41st minute when rookie Anna Bookstaver found Ryanne Davidson for a volley close to the goalmouth. Davidson connected on her second goal of the season with the one-touch rip. The fourth goal of the half came from Maddie Blake after a nice feed from Davidson set the freshman up. Once Blake received the ball off the goal line, Blake worked through contact of two defenders before putting away her shot from close range. 

The Captains held a 13-3 advantage in total shots in the first half and continued to pressure the Roanoke defense well into the second half. While no more goals would come, CNU wound up outshooting the Maroons, 27-7, including an 11-5 edge in shots on-goal. 

Roanoke staved off the shutout with a goal by Morgan O'Neill, her seventh of the season. O'Neill scored in the 82nd minute to make the score its final, 4-1. 

In goal, senior goalkeeper Haley Eiser improved to 36-4-3 and moved into a tie for third all-time in career victories for the Captains. She is now tied with long-time CNU assistant coach Erin Wojtkun for third on the all-time charts and trails only Carly Maglio (51) and Meghan Gumbs (37) in Captains lore. 

Christopher Newport will now hit the road for the next three weeks before returning home on October 3 against Virginia Wesleyan. Next up, the Captains take on Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va. on September 20 at 7:30 pm.