NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Closing out the regular season at home against top-ranked Mary Washington, the Christopher Newport men's soccer team suffered a 3-0 setback on Saturday night. The Captains surrendered two first half goals and one in the second while dropping to 5-6-5 overall on the season. 

Prior to the game, the Captains recognized six seniors that were taking the pitch at Captains Field for the final regular season game of their careers. Mason Field, Carson Grove, Ryan Kiely, Jason LaViola, Matt Liss, and Trevor Smith each were celebrated after helping lift the Captains to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and a conference championship in 2021. 

Punctuating a tremendous career, Ryan Kiely earned a ceremonial final start as he took the field for the opening whistle and received a pass off the kickoff. The senior from Burke, Virginia suffered a career-ending knee injury five games into his junior year but remained a positive asset to the Captains roster for the remainder of his career. 

Following the nice moment on the field, junior Asher Kuzemka subbed onto the field for Kiely and the two teams went to work in the next chapter of a storied rivalry between CNU and Mary Washington. The Captains appeared to have the edge early, ripping the first three shots of the game in the first 11 minutes of action. Manzi Siibo had a hard shot blocked by a defender and Caleb Jones added one off the wall on a restart. Grad student midfielder Mason Field then added a shot that whistled just wide as CNU continued to pressure the Mary Washington defense. 

The momentum would shift, however, in the 16th minute when Carter Berg connected on the first of two first-half goals. The Captains looked undeterred, taking the next three shots again, but a surge by the Eagles in the middle portion of the half led to the second goal as the visitors took a 2-0 lead. 

CNU could not connect in the first half despite six shots with three corner kicks. In the second half, Yazan Yaghmmour put the first shot on-goal with a rocket from long distance that was saved by the Mary Washington keeper. Later in the second half, rookie Carson Friedlein challenged the keeper with another hard shot in the box in the 77th minute. 

Mary Washington tacked on a third goal minutes later when Joel Albritton redirected a header from a long pass by Diego Guzman. Hayden Dewey made five saves in just over 81 minutes of action for the Captains before giving way to Aidan O'Mahony for the final nine minutes. 

Christopher Newport will now turn its attention to postseason play with the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament scheduled for next weekend. The semifinals will be played on Friday, November 8 before the championship game on Sunday, November 10. Game times, seeding, and live championship coverage will be announced later this week and more information can be found at the Tournament Website.