NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the second straight game against a nationally-ranked opponent, senior midfielder Brendan Todd was in the right place at the right time, ready to send home the game-winning goal on a long throw-in as the Christopher Newport men's soccer team picked up a hard-fought 1-0 win against No. 25 UT Dallas (3-2-1) on a steamy Sunday afternoon at Captains Field. The Captains improved to 5-1-0 with the victory and complete the weekend with a pair of wins against Top-25 competition. 

Behind another strong effort by the defense, the Captains secured the team's fourth shutout of the season and third straight. Fifth-year senior Ethan Larson was excellent between the pipes, making three saves and stopping a number of other opportunities by the Comets with solid goalkeeping play. Larson has now logged 225 consecutive minutes of shutout play to lower his goals-against average to 0.37 so far this season. 

Playing in front of him, the back line was met by the aggressive, physical style of UT Dallas from the opening whistle. The Comets made several solid runs in the early stages of the game, creating chances off crosses from the left corner on three separate occasions. The Captains defense adjusted and limited UT Dallas to just five total shots including only three on frame. 

Ryan Kiely, Kyle Stenzel, and Jacob Dudley played all 90 minutes on the back line while Trevor Smith Jonah Fitz and Jonathon Leiding helped Larson secure the clean sheet. 

On the other end of the field, the CNU offense chipped away at the Comets defense, patiently waiting for the better chances to build. In the 52nd minute, Ryan Machado-Jones found a seam in the UT Dallas defense and whistled a hard shot toward the right side of the goal, but the Comets keeper made a diving save to keep the Captains off the board. Barry Jones also had a hard rip blocked by a defender in the box and Elton Quintanilla was inches wide when his short-range shot ricocheted off the right post. 

CNU broke through in the 60th minute when the Captains got a long throw-in from Ryan Kiely. His pass into the box bounced off a defender and trickled to the top of the box where Todd stood waiting. Without hesitation, the senior unleashed a laser into the back of the net for what would prove to be his second straight game-winning goal. 

With UT Dallas pressing for the equalizer, the defense opened up on a pair of back-to-back possessions for the Captains but CNU was unable to add to the lead. First, Chris Schram smashed a hard shot through a hole in the defense, forcing the keeper to make a save, and then LB Sutton found Lincoln Kickbush on the run in a two-on-one opportunity. Kickbush ripped a shot on-goal, but it was turned away. 

Christopher Newport held on for the 1-0 win, toppling UT Dallas in the first ever matchup between the two programs. The Captains will look to close out their seven-game homestand to start the year on a high note when they host Mary Washington next Saturday, September 24 at 6:00 pm.