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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- This weekend, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team will play host to the NCAA Division III Sectional Semifinals and Championship Rounds at Captains Field with two games on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. The No. 3 Captains (18-0-2) will take on No. 9 Trinity (Texas) (21-0-2) in the first game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. followed by a second game at 3:30 p.m. between No. 13 Wisconsin-La Crosse (21-1-1) and Virginia Wesleyan University (17-2-3). The two advancing teams will then meet for a 3:00 p.m. kickoff on Sunday, November 20 in the national quarterfinals.
Tickets for the postseason event are $8 for adults and $5 for children. CNU students will be admitted free of charge with a valid ID. Fans unable to attend in person will be able to access the game via a live webcast or live statistics online. Links to both can be found below or on the Women's Soccer schedule at CNUsports.com.
Christopher Newport is hosting the women's soccer sectionals for just the second time in program history.
Game 1: Christopher Newport vs. Trinity (Texas)
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The first matchup of the weekend will pit two of the remaining six unbeaten teams in the nation against each other in a top-ten clash as Christopher Newport comes in riding a 43-match unbeaten streak and Trinity is on a 23-game roll heading into Saturday. The Tigers last loss came at the hands of Christopher Newport in the same round of last year's NCAA Division III Championship run by the Captains, 1-0, on a neutral field at Case Western Reserve University. Riley Cook scored the gamewinner in the 86th minute off a feed from
Emily Talotta to lift CNU to the win, improving to 3-1-0 all-time against the Tigers.
The teams have paired up three times prior in the regular season with Trinity capturing a 1-0 win in 2005 followed by a double-overtime win for CNU in 2017 and a 2-0 victory by the Captains in 2019.
This season, Trinity features the nation's leading defense after having allowed only three goals this season. They also feature the 12th-ranked scoring offense with 3.74 goals per game making them statistically one of the most well-rounded teams in the tournament. In goal, Lauryn Lewis ranks fourth nationally with a 0.19 goals-against average while boasting eight solo shutouts. The Captains will counter with sophomore
Jaya Daniel, who ranks 17th nationally in GAA with a 0.46 mark after starting 17 games for the Captains between the pipes.
Defensively, CNU has been stingy as well, surrendering only seven goals in 1800 minutes this season for a 0.35 goals-against average. Senior
Jill McDonald and sophomore
Re Slater patrol the middle while junior
Nyah Savage and senior
Sarah Rhiel lock down the outside. The group has also made an impact offensively as McDonald ranks third on the team in points with nine, Rhiel has six assists to lead the squad, and Savage has scored twice with one assist.
The Captains' attack has been led by fifth-year senior
Sarah Smith with 23 points on 11 goals and one assist. The Norfolk, Va. native has five game-winning goals while featuring a dangerously accurate shot, on-goal nearly 53 percent of the time. Junior
Emma Ricci has added another double-figure scoring performance this season with 12 points on four goals and four assists while
Corinne Kulik has also added four goals for the timely Captains' offense.
Trinity's vaunted attack includes six players in double figures led by Michaela Bosco's 47 points on 19 goals and nine assists. Molly Sheridan also has 19 goals while chipping in eight assists for a 46-point effort this season. Hanna Khan and Maya Ozymy have come off the bench with 34 points and 22 points, respectively.
Game 2: Wisconsin-La Crosse vs. Virginia Wesleyan
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The Marlins and Eagles will be facing off against each other for just the second time in program history as UWL earned a 2-1 win over Virginia Wesleyan in 2018. Wisconsin-La Crosse is ranked 13th in the nation and will be making the team's fourth appearance in the sectional round having gone 2-1 in the Round of 16 prior to Saturday's matchup. Virginia Wesleyan is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll and earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament. It will be the first appearance in the third round for the first time in 16 years, but VWU has reached the NCAAA Tournament 11 times since 2006.
As with the first matchup, defense will play a big role in the second game on Saturday. Wisconsin-La Crosse enters the game ranking 33rd nationally in goals-against average while and have six shutouts in their last eight games. The Marlins are 12th in the country with a 0.405 GAA with Rachel Quigley ranking 18th as the primary goalkeeper. She also ranks seventh in save percentage at 91.1 percent.
The Marlins are very familiar with Captains Field, having played 14 games all-time in Newport News as cross-water rivals with Christopher Newport. Wisconsin-La Crosse has traveled to the 757 area before, to play in the Virginia Wesleyan season-opening tournament in 2018, but it will be their first showing on Captains Field.
Offensively, the WIAC Offensive Player of the Year, Ainsley Allan, leads the Eagles with 15 goals, 32 points, and 83 shots taken this year. Virginia Wesleyan has an impact freshman leading the way as Shyenne Diaz has 12 goals and two assists for a team-high 26 points in her first year.
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
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Regardless of the outcomes on Saturday, Sunday's NCAA National Quarterfinal matchup will feature two of the best defenses in the nation. Between the four teams playing in this weekend's sectional, only 33 goals have been surrendered in a combined 88 games for a combined goals-against average of 0.373. The four teams have combined for 61 shutouts in those 88 games.
The advancing team on Sunday will play the winner of the Case Western Reserve sectional in the 2022 NCAA Division III National Semifinals. The CWRU sectional features the host Spartans, Loras, Amherst, and William Smith.
