Live Stats // Video Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The fifth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will return to action on Saturday at noon when the Captains host Centre in a non-conference battle at Jennings Family Stadium.
Entering the game, CNU sits at 7-0 overall, including a 3-0 mark at home. Meanwhile, Centre is 4-5 with a 2-2 record 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 off to a 7-0 start for just the third time in program history after previously accomplishing the feat in 2013 and 2023. The Captains feature one of the nation's elite defensive units as CNU currently ranks fifth in the NCAA in scoring defense (0.57 goals-against-average) and 10th in save percentage (.846). On an individual level,
Lily Kerr's 0.46 goals-against-average is the fourth-best rate in the country.
In addition to Kerr's work between the pipes,
Kendall Gibson is the reigning Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week, while
Katie Abendschoen and
Brooke Billhimer also earned the award earlier in the year for their work on the back line. Gibson leads the league with two defensive saves, while Billhimer boasts a team-high 420 minutes of action. Dating back to last season, she has now played every second in 14 straight contests.
Billhimer and Abendschoen have also started 63 straight games since making their collegiate debut on September 1, 2021. That equals the second-longest "Iron Man" streak in program history, tying the run by current assistant coach and CNU Hall of Famer
Marlene Lichty from 2010-13.
Along with the most experienced members of the defensive unit, sophomore
Ellie Nuckols ranks third on the team with three blocked shots, including a pair of deflections on corner attempts. Freshman
Morgan Shealer also saw extended work in Saturday's 2-1 win at Vassar. During that contest, she helped stymie a pair of runs immediately after the Brewers knotted the score at one in the first half and eliminated a breakaway opportunity in the third stanza.
On the other end of the field, six Captains have scored at least twice this season.
Maddison Steele leads the team with 11 points, including four goals, while
Delaney Norr and
Caroline Hughlett have nine points apiece.
Avery Mast also has three game-winning tallies, which equals the fifth-highest total by a freshman in school history.
Aided by their work on both ends of the field, the Captains are one of only two teams in the entire NCAA that have scored at least two goals and surrendered one or less in every game this season. North Carolina, the top-ranked program in Division I, is the only other team that has accomplished that feat.
Centre enters the weekend after dropping a 3-1 decision to Sewanee on Sunday. That setback snapped a three-game winning streak, which included a pair of road triumphs at Marian and Concordia (Wisc.). Prior to the loss, the Colonels had shut out four of their previous five opponents, including a 7-0 win against Allegheny on September 14.
Overall, Centre's four shutouts are the ninth-most in the NCAA this year. On the back end, Carlie McKenry has a 1.58 goals-against-average and .698 save percentage. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Maggie Will has a team-high four goals, while Emily Ritchie has seven points, including three strikes of her own.
Saturday's bout will be the 12th meeting between the two programs with CNU holding a 9-2 edge in the series. Last year, the Captains picked up a 6-0 win in Kentucky.
Caroline Hughlett registered a pair of goals during that contest, while Abendschoen added three points.
After this weekend, Christopher Newport will return to the road for a midweek showdown at Catholic on October 9 at 5:30 p.m.
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