NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Taking on a talented Randolph-Macon squad receiving votes in the national rankings, the Christopher Newport defense stood tall against the aggressive Yellow Jackets and picked up the team's fifth shutout in eight games this season. The Captains improved to 7-0-1 overall after capturing a 1-0 win when Sarah Rhiel found rookie Kyleigh Gough for a corner kick goal in the 74th minute while the defense held up their end on a pleasant night at Captains Field on Wednesday. 

Just hours from the first day of Fall, the Captains continue to refuse to do just that as the team's unbeaten streak has now stretched to 31 games and stands alone as the 12th longest consecutive games streak without a loss in NCAA Division III history. Only six other women's soccer programs have enjoyed longer runs. Women's soccer has also become the third program in CNU Athletics history to reach 30 consecutive games without a loss, joining the women's basketball team in 2010-11 and the record-holding volleyball program with 32 straight wins in 2012.

The hard-fought battle with the Yellow Jackets featured a dominant shot advantage for the Captains with the home team peppering the Randolph-Macon defense with 31 attempts to just seven total shots by the visitors. CNU also held a distinct 14-0 advantage on corner kicks, which would prove fruitful in the second half when the Captains paid off their efforts near the goal line with the game-winning strike. 

With back-to-back attempts from the corner spot in the 74th minute, Rhiel put a gorgeous ball toward the near post where Gough slipped in front of a defender and powered home the header into the right side of the goal. Her third goal of the season stood as her first career game-winner while Rhiel continues to make an impact on corner kicks. For the fourth time this season, the senior defender has either scored a goal or had an assist from the corner restart. 

The goal would prove to be the only time the Captains beat Randolph-Macon's Abby Cook, but countless chances threatened the Yellow Jackets defense in both halves. In the first half, it was rookie Molly Seventko that nearly broke through on a pair of quality chances. Halfway through the opening stanza, junior midfielder Kenna McCarthy played an excellent ball into space for Seventko running past her defender toward the box. The freshman took one touch and ripped a hard shot, but Cook dove to make the save. Late in the half, Jill McDonald played a long ball the length of the field that found Seventko with a 50-50 chance against Cook at the top of the box, but after a pair of collisions, the play continued until Macon cleared the ball out. 

With just over 19 minutes left in the first half, midfielder Ellie Cox played Corinne Kulik onsides with a beautiful pass down the left, but the goalkeeper made a nice read to come out and clear the ball away. Cox had her own rocket turned away on another diving save as CNU continued to ratchet up the pressure. 

The score knotted at 0-0 through halftime, the CNU offense never backed down and continued to look for the holes in the Macon defense. With about 24 minutes remaining, Nyah Savage made a nifty move around a defender near the sideline, opening up a chance for a centering pass to leading scorer Sarah Smith. The senior forward smashed a hard shot on line with the upper 90 but the attempt sailed just high. 

Moments later, on a Yellow Jackets counter-attack, the visitors were aided by a fortunate bounce that slipped a player behind the last defender. Cox sprinted back, however, and made a stellar defensive stop to race back and clear away the would be attempt. The defense allowed just seven total shots in the contest including only one on-frame after halftime. 

The Christopher Newport back line -- Jill McDonald, Kate Eissenberg, Sarah Rhiel, and Nyah Savage -- continue to frustrate opposing attacks this season. The team boasts a 0.50 goals-against average and five shutouts. Sophomore goalkeeper Jaya Daniel secured her first career solo clean sheet in the win, making four saves against the Yellow Jackets in the process. 

This Saturday, the top-ranked Captains will return to action against Stevens Institute of Technology at 11:00 a.m. CNU hosts the Ducks (1-3-3) at Captains Field; live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com.