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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Facing its last home game until the middle of October, the 9th-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will host Virginia Wesleyan in a non-conference contest at 6 p.m. on Monday at Jennings Family Stadium.
Entering the battle, CNU sits at 7-0 overall and 5-0 at home. Meanwhile, Virginia Wesleyan is 3-3 with a 2-3 ledger in road tilts.
For those fans unable to attend the game, Christopher Newport will provide a live broadcast of the action on CNU's official YouTube channel. Live stats will also be available through CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
The Captains are coming off back-to-back wins against nationally-ranked competition, including a 3-0 triumph at No. 17 Bryn Mawr on Saturday. That marked the program's first shutout in a road game against a top-20 foe since blanking No. 14 Mary Washington by an identical 3-0 score on November 5, 2014.
Leading the way on the defensive side,
Lily Kerr made four saves while collecting her ninth career shutout. Additionally, the Captains handled all nine of Bryn Mawr's penalty corner attempts, including a pair of blocked shots by
Abby Asuncion and
Alexis Morales in the fourth quarter.
Offensively,
Maddison Steele scored twice in the first two minutes while becoming the 10th Captain to register a multi-goal effort against a nationally-ranked team. Morales also chipped in with a second-half strike, while
Courtney Hughlett and
Caroline Hughlett each contributed assists.
With their performance on Saturday, the Hughlett twins now have 15 combined points this year. That stands as the highest single-season total by sisters in program history, topping the 14 points that Corey and Kelsey Rigby posted in 2009.
Aided by the work of the Hughletts as well as
Lindsey Loar and
Ellie Nuckols, at least one freshman has scored a point in all seven games this season. Just as impactful on the defensive side, the freshman class has also made its presence felt on the back line.
Kendall Gibson and
Avi McWhorter have appeared in all seven games this season while helping the Captains rank in the top-15 nationally in scoring defense.
Virginia Wesleyan enters Monday on a two-game roll after shutting out Neumann and Meredith in back-to-back outings. On the back end, the Marlins rank eighth in the nation with 10 defensive saves, including four by Breanna Gable. Hannah Gautreaux has also turned away three shots of her own, while DJ Holsclaw has a 1.90 goals-against-average and .804 save percentage.
Offensively, Virginia Wesleyan has been led by Katherine Druiett, who has four goals and a pair of assists. Lauren Hedspeth has also struck three times for the Marlins, while Ava Stauch has two tallies.
Monday's showdown will mark the 16th all-time meeting between the two programs with Christopher Newport holding a 13-3 edge in the series. Last year, the Captains registered an 8-0 win in Virginia Beach. Among the headliners during that contest, Asuncion scored twice for the victors, while Steele chipped in with three points.
After Monday, CNU will embark on a five-game road trip beginning on Saturday against No. 12 Kean during a neutral-site tilt at 5 p.m. in Winchester, Virginia.
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