SALEM, Va. -- In Wednesday evening's matchup on a sun-splashed Kerr Stadium field in Salem, Va., the top-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team came from behind to down the host Roanoke College Maroons, 2-1. The connection between juniors Emma Ricci and Nyah Savage triggered both goals as Savage scored twice off Ricci assists to power the Captains to the victory. 

With the win, Christopher Newport improves to 9-0-1 on the season and Roanoke falls to 5-4-0. It was the third come-from-behind victory for the Captains this season as the offense continues to find timely goals late in the game. The winner on Wednesday was scored in the 79th minute with just 11:01 showing on the game clock in a tie game. 

Despite Roanoke taking a first-half lead with a goal in the 24th minute, the Captains offense dominated action toward the goal throughout the contest. CNU ripped eight shots in the first 23 minutes, including five on frame forcing Carrington Lippi, the Roanoke goalkeeper to make a save. Once, in the 23rd minute, the CNU attack nearly struck first off a corner kick with a would-be goal saved by a Maroons defender.

Kenna McCarthy's corner kick was sent into the middle of the box where either Jill McDonald or Molly Seventko directed a header toward the near post. Coming away from the goalmouth, Ellie Cox then tried a tricky flick with her back to the goal and put the shot on target to the opposite side of the frame, but a Roanoke defender cleared it off the line to keep the game scoreless. 

Just over a minute later, the Maroons found the back of the net with the first goal of the match. Lauren Rubino made a run through a Captains defender to get loose down the right side where she lifted a long pass toward the back post. MC Petrucelli was there to head in her seventh goal of the season to take a 1-0 lead. 

The Captains outshot Roanoke in the first half, 12-3, including a 5-1 advantage in shots on-goal, but still faced a 1-0 deficit at the break. That lead would not hold long in the second half, though, as the CNU offense again took control of the field early in the stanza. 

In the 58th minute, the Captains got the equalizer on a gorgeous combination play started by Cox in the middle of the field. Utilizing the speed of Ricci to her advantage, Cox played an exceptional pass into the box on the left side. With her first touch, Ricci slipped a connecting pass to Savage, streaking in front of her defender at the six for a quick flick under the sliding goalkeeper. 

The match nearly teetered back in favor of the home team in the 75th minute when a penalty kick was awarded to Roanoke after the Maroons shot into the hand of a CNU defender in the box. For the second time this season, though, sophomore goalkeeper Jaya Daniel made a pivotal game-saving stop with a diving snag on a PK. 

Just under five minutes later, the Captains took the lead on the second goal of the match from Savage. This one again came off a pass from Ricci, but from a little more distance off the right wing. Rookie Katy Bronski started the play, patiently waiting for the passing lanes to open up before shipping a pass out to Ricci on the left -- on her first touch, the junior midfielder crossed back to the top of the box where the ball bounced once to the feet of Savage. With a defender closing in, Savage smashed a shot toward the left side of the goal that snuck in between the diving goalkeeper and the left post. 

Savage becomes the seventh different CNU player to score a game-winning goal this season and notched her first career two-goal performance. 

With the victory, the Captains streak of consecutive games without a loss extends to 33 games (31-0-2). CNU will be back in action next Tuesday, October 4 as they travel to the University of Lynchburg for a 5:00 p.m. kickoff against the Hornets.