Box Score VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Scoring three goals in the final 18 minutes of action, the sixth-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team blitzed by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (0-1-0) for their first win of the year on Friday night, 3-1. The Captains dominated the action in their season-opening victory, out-shooting the Titans by a final count of 27-2 in the neutral site matchup hosted by Virginia Wesleyan University.
Three different CNU players got into the scoring column in the matchup as a pair of seniors book-ended the first career tally by rookie
Alex Devers. First, senior
Corinne Kulik notched the game's first goal off a feed by
Ellie Cox and finally,
Natalie Swarm tucked away a finish off a feed from
Kyleigh Gough.
Chances mounted from the jump as the Captains ripped 15 first-half shots and put over half of them on target. The UW Oshkosh keeper, Emma Sauriol, was up to the task in the first 45 minutes, however, making eight saves to keep the dangerous Captains' attack at bay. Meanwhile, the CNU defense was suffocating the Titans, allowing just a single attempt off target.
Reanna Slater played in the middle with
Jackie Stallard and
Nyah Savage flanking her throughout the contest with sophomore
Jaya Daniel in net for the Captains. The stout defensive unit surrendered just a single shot in the run of play during the contest as Oshkosh's second attempt came from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute.
Christopher Newport cashed in the season's first goal in the 73rd minute when midfielder
Ellie Cox played a through ball down the left side for Kulik. The senior got to the ball first and then tickled the twine with a well-placed shot to give the Captains a 1-0 lead.
After finally breaking through, the flood gates opened for the Captains as they scored again just over four minutes later and a third time in the 85th minute. Devers put away an unassisted tally in the 77th minute when a defender failed to clear in the box. The rookie collected and smashed home an indefensible rip into the left side of the goal to double the Captains' lead.
The Titans scored on a PK in the 82nd minute but another beautiful pass out of the midfield secured an insurance goal in the final five minutes.
Kyleigh Gough looked ahead for
Natalie Swarm sprinting past her defenders. With nothing but the goalkeeper in front of her, the savvy senior forward slipped a low shot under the keeper to the right side to re-gain a two-goal advantage.
The final score was 3-1 as the Captains opened the year with another win in the record-shattering start to the career of third-year head coach
Jamie Gunderson. CNU has now remained unbeaten in 46 consecutive games to start his tenure, posting a 42-0-4 overall record during the run.
Christopher Newport will return to action on Sunday, September 3 as they plate host to Southwestern University at Captains Field. Kickoff against the Pirates (0-1-0) is set for 11:00 a.m. after Southwestern suffered a 1-0 setback to No. 4 Virginia Wesleyan in Friday's nightcap.
