NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The top-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team continued it's season's long trend of coming up in the clutch, picking up a game-winning goal in the final ten minutes of play on Wednesday night to earn a hard-fought 1-0 win over Mary Washington (8-3-4). The Captains improved to 13-0-1 on the season with a 12-game winning streak after the win, while simultaneously ending a 12-match unbeaten streak by the Eagles. 

CNU is riding the fifth-longest winning streak in program history and the third roll of 10 or more wins in a row in two years under head coach Jamie Gunderson. The team's program-record unbeaten streak has improved to 37 consecutive games (35-0-2) and has tied for the sixth longest home winning streak at eight straight victories dating back to last season. 

The thrilling finish was set up by a physical battle against the Eagles that teetered back-and-forth throughout the night. Playing much of the game in the midfield, senior Abby Harrigan and sophomore Ellie Cox were vital to the Captains' success in limiting chances by the Mary Washington attack while also kick-starting the CNU offense. With just over nine minutes left in the second half, Cox was injured on a 50-50 header and was forced to leave the game; her teammates rallied in her stead, scoring the game-winning goal less than a minute later. 

After the restart, Corinne Kulik found Emma Ricci on the right side before getting the ball back to the middle for Harrigan. The level-headed senior midfielder played the ball forward to Kulik, who made a dynamite pass into the corner that just trickled long for the Captains' attack. With a throw-in deep in their own zone, Mary Washington failed to get the ball away and, as fate would have it, Cox's substitution Callie Birk found herself with the ball at the top of the box. She shuffled a pass to her left for Molly Beegle, who took just one touch to her right before slotting a perfectly-placed shot low and into the left side of the goal. 

The go-ahead strike sent the Captains' bench into a frenzy as CNU picked up their sixth goal of the season in the final ten minutes of games, including four gamewinners. Beegle scored for the second straight game while Birk scored her first career point with the assist. 

Jaya Daniel made a pair of saves in the shutout victory for the Captains, as CNU picked up the 10th clean sheet of the season. It is the fastest CNU women's soccer has ever reached 10 shutouts in a season, reaching the mark in just 14 games. In 12 starts this year, Daniel is 12-0-0 with a 0.48 goals-against average and an .872 save percentage while facing 82 shots. 

These two teams will have little time to put Wednesday's matchup in the rear-view mirror, as they will face off again on Saturday with the Captains' making a return trip to Fredericksburg for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff.