NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The third-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team shut out Marymount University (2-7-2) on Wednesday evening, 2-0, and picked up the team's eighth straight win this season. The Captains are now 8-0-1 on the year after outshooting the Saints by a dominant 43-1 margin in the game. 

CNU scored two first-half goals with graduate student Corinne Kulik netting the gamewinner in the ninth minute of action and leading scorer Hanna Heaton adding a second strike in the 22nd minute. Heaton also notched an assist on the first goal while Nyah Savage earned a point with a helper on goal number two. 

The defense put together an outstanding performance against the 2023 NCAA Tournament participant, holding down Marymount to just one shot attempt in the game. Reanna Slater and Savage played the full 90 minutes on the back line while Bella DiTommaso and Bella Aguayo also saw action on the back line in the shutout effort. 

In goal, sophomore Amy Sidaway started and played the full 45 minutes in the first half, but gave way to three goalkeepers in the second half for the Captains. Senior Jaya Daniel played just over 21 minutes to start the second half, holding onto the clean sheet in her third appearance of the year. Abby Ochs then came on for just under 16 minutes of action and made a key defensive play when the Saints attempted to mount one of their few offensive chances in the game. On a cross from the right side, Ochs jumped in front of a Saints player to cover the cross and snuff out the opportunity. Finally, rookie Elana Romesburg made her collegiate debut in the final ten minutes for the Captains and closed out the combined shutout for CNU. 

The dominant defensive performance was the 56th shutout for Christopher Newport in the last 76 games as CNU extended it's NCAA Division III record unbeaten streak since the start of 2021. The Captains are now 68-0-8 in since Jamie Gunderson took over the head coaching duties ahead of the 2021 season. 

The bulk of the game was played in the Captains' attacking third as they peppered the Marymount defense with shots in the contest. In total, CNU accumulated a season-high 43 attempts while putting 19 shots on-frame. Leading the charge was Kulik with eight total shots and five on target; Heaton added seven shots with two on-goal. Eight of the ten CNU starters logged at least one shot in the game while the reserves saw seven more players notch attempts from the field. Off the bench, rookie Ellie Diehl and junior Katy Bronski led the way with four total shots while freshmen Grace Shifflett and Lauren Croley each had a pair on target. 

CNU struck first just over eight minutes into the game when Heaton blistered a hard shot off the hands of the goalkeeper from inside the box. Unable to collect the ball as it trickled out to her right, Kulik stepped in and drove home the follow-up shot to put the Captains on the board. 

Christopher Newport would double the lead in the 22nd minute after a nice run through the middle of the Marymount defense by defender Nyah Savage. Taking her space until she was finally challenged near the top of the box, Savage waited to insert a perfectly-placed pass to Heaton through the center of the pitch. One of the hottest offensive players in Division III made sure to pay off the pass, slamming a hard shot into the right side of the goal for the score. Heaton has now factored into 12 of the last 13 goals scored by CNU since September 20 with five goals and seven assists in that span. Her 24 points in nine games this season are the most in a nine-game span since All-American Riley Cook registered 31 in the middle of the Captains' NCAA Championship season of 2021. 

Heading back on the road for a single game this weekend, Christopher Newport is now scheduled to kick off against Swarthmore College, receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25, at Noon on Saturday, October 5. The game will be played in Pennsylvania with live stats and a live video webcast available online.