Live Stats // Video Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the second time this week, the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will test itself against a nationally-ranked opponent as the Captains welcome No. 18 New Paltz to town for an 11 a.m. battle on Saturday at Jennings Family Stadium.
Entering the weekend, CNU is 9-1 overall and 4-0 at home. Meanwhile, New Paltz is 12-1 with a 6-1 mark on the road.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
Christopher Newport is coming off its first setback of the year after dropping a 3-1 decision at No. 2 Salisbury on Wednesday. During the contest,
Lily Kerr registered a season-high seven stops between the pipes, while
Brooke Billhimer notched her 11th career defensive save. With that performance, the reigning NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week moved into a tie with former legend April Cullen for the fourth-most defensive saves in program lore.
Also making history on Wednesday,
Courtney Hughlett notched her team-leading eighth assist of the year. It was also her fourth straight contest with at least one helper, making her just the sixth Captain to record an assist in four consecutive games. She also became the first to accomplish that feat since longtime standout Lauren Cheatham had an identical four-game run in 2015.
Along with the history-makers,
Riley Iasiello scored her second goal of the season and was one of four Captains to block a shot against Salisbury.
Kendall Gibson and both Courtney and
Caroline Hughlett also deflected attempts in the battle with the Sea Gulls.
So far this season,
Courtney Hughlett ranks eighth in the NCAA with a 0.80 assists-per-game rate, while Kerr is seventh in the country with a 0.67 goals-against-average. As a team, Christopher Newport is 10th in scoring defense (0.70 goals-against-average), 11th in assists-per-game (2.50), and 18th in save percentage (.816).
On the other side of the field, New Paltz boasts one of the nation's elite attacks. The Hawks are second in the country in scoring offense (5.15 goals-per-game). The squad has scored at least twice in all 13 games, including top-25 tilts against No. 16 Bryn Mawr, No. 23 Ithaca, and No. 25 Stevens.
Headlining the offense, Rachel Tama is averaging 1.85 goals per contest, which ranks first in the entire NCAA. Miranda Britton is also seventh in goals-per-game (1.23), while Hannah Ackerman is second in assists-per-contest (1.00). On the back end, Gail Comiskey has a 1.98 goals-against-average, while New Paltz has three shutouts, including back-to-back blankings against FDU-Florham and Oswego.
Saturday's match-up will be the first meeting between Christopher Newport and New Paltz.
After this weekend, CNU will return to action on Monday at 10 a.m. with a neutral-site battle against Rhodes in Salem, Virginia.
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