NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The suffocating Christopher Newport defense did not allow a shot and five different goal scorers found the back of the net for the third-ranked Captains on Wednesday night in a 5-0 win over Southern Virginia University. Taking on the former conference foe on a delightful Autumnal evening, Christopher Newport notched the team's tenth straight win while improving to 10-0-1 on the season. 

The win streak marks the fourth time in four seasons under head coach Jamie Gunderson that Christopher Newport has logged a winning roll of at least 10 games or more. In the previous 23 seasons of CNU women's soccer spanning nearly 460 games, CNU only had four win streaks of 10 or more and Gunderson was on staff as an assistant coach for two of those. 

The Captains added another game to the NCAA Division III record unbeaten streak and are now 70-0-8 over the last four seasons. Additionally, CNU has not lost a game at home in 38 consecutive games, moving into a tie for the 14th longest run in Division III history. 

The victory came behind another dominating defensive performance as the Captains did not allow a single shot from their opponent. Southern Virginia was able to move the ball into the attacking third only a couple of times in the game and each was stymied by standout defensive communication. Grad student Nyah Savage made her 78th consecutive start and played full time on the outside while senior center back Reanna Slater also played all 90 minutes in the shutout. Bella DiTommaso started and played nearly 70 minutes before giving way to Bella Aguayo for the final 21 minutes of action. The defensive midfield, led by Kyleigh Gough and Ellie Cox, was also integral in holding down the Knights attack. 

The shot shutout was the first since the opening round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament when CNU held John Jay without an attempt from the field. Slater and Savage each played over 70 minutes in that victory as well. 

With Amy Sidaway comfortably back in goal, the Captains notched the eighth shutout in 11 games this season. Sidaway improved to 9-0-0 and lowered her goals-against average to 0.35 with her sixth solo shutout of the season. 

While the defense highlighted the action, the Christopher Newport offense broke out with a season-high five goals scored in the game. Two came before halftime and then the Captains added three more in the second stanza for the final count of five, all coming from different players. 

After peppering the Southern Virginia netminder with nine shots, including five on target, in the first 30 minutes, the Captains finally converted for a score in the 31st minute of action. The goal was created by All-American defender Reanna Slater as she drove through the middle of the field with the ball before a long touch created a 50-50 ball in the middle of the field. She continued to stride through the play and just beat the Knights defender for a touch pass to Ellie Cox. From there, the senior midfielder took an arcing path to create space and then unleashed a long-range missile into the top of the goal for her second strike of the season. 

Christopher Newport continued to apply pressure including a short-range shot by Lexi Hazelgrove that ricocheted off the crossbar and another bullet from deep by Cox in the 35th minute. After creating a number of high-quality chances offensively, the second goal would come on a broken play that was finished by sophomore AP Webb for the score in the 36th minute of play. Webb made a play on the ball between two defenders and her first attempt squirted loose into the box a few yards away. In a footrace with another Southern Virginia player, Webb beat her counterpart by a step and slipped a low bouncer into the left side of the goal. It was the first career goal for Webb and the hustle play provided Christopher Newport with a 2-0 lead heading into halftime. 

The lead would grow just minutes into the second half on a nice play created by Kyleigh Gough that allowed Corinne Kulik to score in the 49th minute. Gough, like Slater before her, took possession and drove right through the center of the field before reaching the top of the box and laying off a pass for Kulik to the left side. After Hazelgrove faked a touch and let the ball through, Kulik collected and took on a pair of defenders. A shot fake, hesitation move to her right, and a gorgeous shot from just inside the box gave the fifth-year forward her fourth goal of the year. 

Hazelgrove got in on the action in the 61st minute thanks to an aggressive play off a goal kick. With Kulik cutting off one of the passing lanes, the Southern Virginia goalkeeper played short to one of her defenders. On the ensuing pass, Hazelgrove jumped into the passing lane and stole the ball on the left side of the field. Her first touch set the ball up perfectly from about 19 yards on the left side and she sent a beautiful bender with her left foot over the leaping goalkeeper and into the right pocket for the score. 

Rounding out the goal scoring for Christopher Newport was sophomore Brooke White, connecting on her first career score with a penalty kick conversion in the 86th minute. 

The Captains finished the game with a 31-0 edge in total shots including a 12-0 edge in attempts on target. CNU also recorded 9 corner kicks without surrendering one of their own. 

This weekend, Christopher Newport will hit the road to take on conference foe Mary Washington at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 12.