NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Ahead of a mid-week matchup at Methodist University on Wednesday evening, the Christopher Newport women's soccer team surged ahead one spot in the national rankings and are now tied for No. 2 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Top 25, released on Tuesday. The Captains, who have started the year 7-0-0, are tied with Carnegie Mellon in the rankings and the pair trail only William Smith College, the new number one in the second poll of the regular season. 

The perennial power has earned a spot in the nation's top-ten for the 21st consecutive poll released by the United Soccer Coaches and have been among the top-ten in 30 of the last 31 rankings dating back to the final poll of the 2018 season. Head coach Jamie Gunderson has been at the helm since the 2020 campaign, guiding the Captains to a record-shattering 52-match unbeaten streak. 

That roll will be on the line Wednesday when the Captains travel to Methodist University for a 5:00 p.m. kickoff. Live stats and a live video webcast are available with links found at CNUsports.com. 

Also moving up in this week's poll was the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, who is next on the schedule for the Captains after the road trip to Fayetteville on Wednesday. La Crosse is now No. 12 in the poll and will be the third nationally-ranked team the Captains have faced this season. CNU also has a date scheduled with No. 24 Washington and Lee on Sunday, October 1 on the road. 

As a team this season, the Captains have registered an unscathed 7-0-0 record overall. That includes a 4-0-0 start at home, 1-0-0 record in road games, and a 2-0-0 mark in neutral site matchups. The offense is averaging 1.86 goals per game while the defense has surrendered just two goals, both via penalty kick, for a 0.29 goals-against average. 

Leading the charge defensively have been Reanna Slater (625 minutes) and Nyah Savage (621 minutes), with over 98.5 percent of minutes played on the back line. Slater, Savage, and primarily Jackie Stallard (498 minutes) have been a dominant force as opposing attacks have struggled to get beyond the trio for solid attempts, taking just 12 shots on-goal through seven game so far.

Offensively, the Captains' depth continues to play a factor with 14 players logging at least one point already this year. Rookie Alex Devers has knocked through three goals and leads the squad with six points while Corinne Kulik and Kyleigh Gough each have five points on two goals and an assist.

In goal, rookie Amy Sidaway was named the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week after earning a pair of shutouts and holding the her foes to just one goal in 270 minutes of action. She is now 3-0-0 with a 0.33 goals-against average. 

Methodist has opened the year with a 4-2-0 record and is coming off a 10-0 shellacking of Warren Wilson College on Saturday, September 16. Yaneli Sanchez leads the way with seven goals and four assists already this season for 18 total points. Corrine Shovlain and Rianna Orello each have multiple goals for the Monarchs. The goalkeeping has ben sound with Carolina Simpkins and Kaylea Carter splitting time over the first five games. Carter is 3-0-0 while Simpkins is 1-2-0 with a 0.67 goals-against average. 

Following Wednesday night's game, the second-ranked Captains will return hom to welcome La Crosse this weekend before hosting a neutral site game between Virginia Wesleyan and UW La Crosse on Sunday morning. 

 

NATIONAL - POLL 2 - SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

Rank	School	Prev	W-L-T
1	William Smith College	5	4-0-1
2	Carnegie Mellon University	2	7-0-0
2	Christopher Newport University	3	7-0-0
4	Washington University (Mo.)	6	5-0-0
5	Messiah University	1	4-2-0
6	Johns Hopkins University	4	4-1-1
7	Case Western Reserve University	8	6-0-1
8	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	11	5-0-1
9	Pomona-Pitzer Colleges	10	5-0-0
10	Amherst College	16	4-0-1
11	Montclair State University	18	4-1-0
12	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse	13	6-0-0
13	Williams College	22	4-0-1
14	University of Rochester	15	5-0-1
15	Misericordia University	9	4-2-0
16	Calvin University	21	5-0-1
17	Emory University	24	4-1-0
18	California Lutheran University	18	6-0-1
19	University of Hartford	12	4-1-0
20	The College of New Jersey	25	4-1-1
21	Wesleyan University	NR	4-0-0
22	Clarkson University	RV	5-0-2
23	St. Catherine University	NR	6-1-0
24	Washington & Lee University	RV	4-0-1
25	Franklin & Marshall College	RV	4-0-1

Records shown are through games of September 17, 2023

Also receiving votes: Hamilton College, New York University, University of Chicago, Brandeis University, Johnson & Wales (R.I.), Middlebury College, Simpson College, Tufts University, Rowan University, Hardin-Simmons University, McDaniel College