SALISBURY, Md. -- For the second time in the last three games, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport men's soccer team secured a 3-0 win against Salisbury University (4-10-2) as the Captains rolled to road victory on Saturday to close out the regular season with an overall record of 11-3-1. 

Junior forward Elton Quintanilla highlighted the offensive fireworks, assisting on the game-winning goal and adding an insurance tally of his own late in the game to boost the talented attack to a three-goal outburst. It was the eighth multi-goal effort of the season for the CNU attack and the third straight. 

While the offense was firing on all cylinders, the defensive effort against a talented Salisbury attack was commendable yet again. Ethan Larson, Hayden Dewey, and Dom Stumpo combined for the tenth shutout of the season, marking the second most in a single season since the record-setting 2010 campaign that ended with 12 clean sheets. Larson made five saves, including a highlight-reel diving stop of a point blank bullet early in the second half, and Dewey picked up a pair of saves as well. 

The back line included complete game efforts from Jonathon Leiding and Ryan Kiely while Chris Schram and Jonah Fitz handled the bulk of the duties on the outside. Jacob Dudley, A.J. Goller and Luke Peri chipped into the exceptional defensive effort while sophomore defensive midfielder Trevor Smith also was a major factor in the Captains' holding the Sea Gulls empty for the second time this season. 

Christopher Newport took a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute with what would prove to be the eventual game-winning goal. After Barry Jones battled down the field with his defender, he played the ball off the Sea Gulls for a corner kick. On the ensuing set piece, Quintanilla placed a hip-high laser into the box where Ryan Machado-Jones came streaking in on the near post. He reached his foot high to catch the ball out of the air and re-direct a shot past the keeper for the first score of the game. 

Not long into the second stanza, the Captains picked up an insurance tally on a nice play by the CNU midfield. Godfrey Abel opened the run down the field on the left before flipping the action to the right side into the box for Mason Field. Field then turned back and found Kyle Stenzel lurking alone in the middle of the box and the senior made sure his shot was true, burying it into the left to give the Captains a 2-0 lead. 

In the 75th minute, a handball in the box awarded the Captains attack a penalty kick that Quintanilla stepped in and drilled for his third goal of the season. The three-point showing moved Quintanilla into double figures for the season as the Captains' leading scorer now has 11 points on three goals and five assists. 

Christopher Newport closes the regular season with an 11-3-1 overall record and is currently positioned at the top of the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference standings. Official seedings for the 2022 C2C Tournament, which will be played on the same field the Captains won on Saturday, will be released by Monday with game times and opening round opponents to be determined. The top two seeds in the league earn a first-round bye with the quarterfinals played on Thursday, semifinals on Friday, and the championship set for Sunday, November 6. Stay tuned to CNUsports.com for updates.