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SALISBURY, Md. -- The Christopher Newport field hockey team jumped back into the NFHCA National Coaches Poll on Tuesday as the Captains earned the No. 19 spot in the rankings just in time for the squad's battle with No. 1 Salisbury on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Sea Gull Stadium.
Christopher Newport entered the top-20 for the first time since September 13 when the team was ranked 18th in the country. Overall, the Captains picked up 113 points to hold down the No. 19 position.
Along with the Captains, fellow Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference rival Salisbury moved up to first in the national rankings. The Sea Gulls jumped two spots after knocking off previously-unbeaten Rowan, 3-2, last week.
Fittingly, the two nationally-ranked squads will square off on Wednesday evening. Entering the tilt, Christopher Newport currently sits at 12-3 overall and 5-1 on the road. Meanwhile, Salisbury is 14-0 with a pristine 6-0 mark at home.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at SUSeaGulls.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
The Captains are riding an eight-game winning streak in which the squad has outscored its opposition, 23-2. During the recent surge,
Abby Asuncion leads Christopher Newport with 16 points, six assists, and five goals. Meanwhile,
Marcella Sabbagh has also struck four times, including one tally in each of her last three appearances.
Along with the offensive standouts, Sabbagh,
Brooke Billhimer, and
Chloe Thompson have played all 480 minutes on the back line during the winning streak. Coupled with freshman goalie
Lily Kerr, they have helped limit the opposition to a miniscule 0.25 goals per game average. Fittingly, Sabbagh, Billhimer, and Kerr have all been named the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week during the recent stretch, while Thompson leads the team with three defensive saves over the past eight games.
Overall this season, Christopher Newport sits seventh in the NCAA in goals-against-average (0.67), and the team's nine shutouts are tied for the seventh-most in the country. Meanwhile, on the offensive end, the Captains rank 17th in the nation in goals-per-game (3.73), and the team's rate of 11.67 corners per contest sits 10th overall.
On an individual level, Kerr continues to slot second in the NCAA in both goals-against-average (0.29) and save percentage (.921).
Salisbury also ranks among the national leaders in a variety of categories while boasting a perfect 14-0 record. The Sea Gulls are fourth in scoring offense (4.71 goals per game), fifth in goals against average (0.64), and 14th in shutouts (7). On an individual level, Mackenzie Peacock is 10th in goals against average (0.71), and McKenzie Mitchell is 44th in points per game (2.14).
The Sea Gulls were last in action on October 19 when they knocked off No. 1 Rowan, 3-2, in New Jersey. McKenna Horner recorded a hat-trick against the Profs, including the game-winning tally with less than 40 seconds left in regulation. For that performance, she was honored as the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
Wednesday's meeting will mark the 29th all-time match-up between the two programs with Salisbury holding a 22-6 edge in the series. Last year, Christopher Newport posted a 1-0 victory during the regular season before the Sea Gulls won the rematch, 4-1, in the league championship.
Following Wednesday's game, the Captains will wrap up the regular season on Saturday when the team hosts Mary Washington on Senior Day at 11 a.m.
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