NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In a matchup filled with national championship caliber performances, the second-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team delivered a thrilling 3-2 win over No. 18 Johns Hopkins University (18-3-3) on a crisp, fall afternoon at Captains Field Sunday in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Quarterfinals. The Captains improved to 19-1-2 overall and advance to the national semifinals for the third time in program history. 

Head coach Jamie Gunderson extended his postseason unbeaten streak to 18 straight games as Christopher Newport improved to 16-0-2 over the last four years. Heading into the matchup, the last time CNU suffered a loss in the NCAA Tournament was in 2019 against Johns Hopkins when Dan Weiler, now the head coach of the Blue Jays, was coaching his final game at Christopher Newport. 

"First of all, hats off to Johns Hopkins. Their coaching staff does an unbelievable job and their players are fantastic players," said Gunderson. "We knew it was going to be tough coming in -- as the game went on, our fight and will willed us to get that victory today. Again, hats off to them. They had an unbelievable season and I can't give them enough credit."

Two of the heavyweights in Division III women's soccer, Christopher Newport and Hopkins won two of the last three national championships between them. From the opening whistle to the final moments, the game had the feeling of a national title bout. 

It was Christopher Newport that took the first big swing, pulling ahead 1-0 on the first corner kick opportunity of the day. Hanna Heaton took the free kick from the corner and found the head of senior All-American defender Reanna Slater. Her first chance fell just inches wide left and glanced off the left post. Positioned perfectly, junior midfielder Kyleigh Gough was there to put away the second chance opportunity from close range. It was her second goal of the NCAA Tournament and both have come off feeds from Slater. 

After falling behind early, Hopkins looked to even things up took three of the next four shots in the match. Sophomore goalkeeper Amy Sidaway made the first of a career-high seven saves on a shot by Olivia Piraino in the 5th minute of action, but the graduate midfielder paid off her second attempt just seven minutes later. Taking on a pair of CNU defenders, the veteran had a tough angle but ripped an arcing shot off the far post and in to draw even at one goal apiece. 

The back-and-forth action tipped back in favor of Christopher Newport in the middle portion of the first half when leading scorer Hanna Heaton took matters into her own hands in the 23rd minute. With the ball at her feet, the Gloucester, Va. native took off down the middle field and left three defenders behind before working clear for a right-footed shot near the top of the box. Her try was true, whistling into the left side of the goal on the bounce and giving the Captains a one-goal lead again, 2-1. 

With the goal, Heaton now has 14 on the season and has raised her single season scoring total to 45, moving into sole possession all-time for fourth at CNU. She trails only CNU legend Riley Cook (56, 55, and 53-point seasons in 2018, 2019, and 2021) on the scoring chart. 

Sidaway stepped up the remainder of the first half, making an impressive leaping save on a bullet from Katie Sullivan and snagging a short-range missile from Megha Salvi in the 27th minute. The CNU goalkeeper also punched away a header from Olivia Redden to cap an outstanding five-save performance in the first half. 

The two teams combined for nine shots on-goal in the first 45 minutes of action and 17 total attempts. The opportunities were more limited in the second half as both defenses clamped down in a matchup of two of the best teams in the country. 

For Hopkins, Megha Salvi showed a relentless motor for the visitors and continuously kept plays alive for the Blue Jays. A blistering shot from the top of the box was ripped by Salvi in the 70th minute but her CNU counterpart, senior Ellie Cox, slid between the attempt to knock it away. The two standout midfielders were locked in a back-and-forth battle throughout the matchup. 

With the minutes ticking away, Hopkins sent everything forward looking for the equalizer. In the 80th minute, though, the tactic backfired as graduate student Corinne Kulik took advantage of a misplay to add a pivotal third score for the Captains. After a long ball was played over the Hopkins defense, Kulik pressured the Blue Jays goalkeeper, Allyson Shick, and managed to wrestle the ball away near the top of the box. After one touch, Kulik put a magnificent chip on frame to net a key insurance goal for CNU with just ten minutes to play. 

A two-goal cushion proved to be essential when Hopkins fired home their second goal of the match in the 88th minute when Salvi connected on a header from a feed by Lily Gaston. Short time did nothing to alleviate the intensity as Hopkins battled for one final chance. In the final minute, a corner kick sent all 11 Blue Jays into the attacking third and Shick, the starting goalkeeper, was able to get a shot on frame that Sidaway had to smother through traffic. 

It proved to be the final chance for either side as the seconds ticked away and the Captains earned the sectional championship victory, 3-2. Kulik snagged the game-winning goal in her final contest at Captains Field with the spectacular finish in the 80th minute. It was her third winner of the season and 10th goal overall. 

On the defensive side, the Captains got full time from Slater and sophomore Bella DiTommaso alongside graduate student Nyah Savage. Savage and Slater were also playing at Captains Field for the final time and the former picked up her 89th consecutive start in the process. Gough slid back to play the bulk of the second half on the back line and helped CNU secure another one-goal victory. 

Cox and Heaton also played full time for the Captains, as did Lexi Hazelgrove. CNU got contributions off the bench from Molly Seventko, Alex Dalakis, AP Webb, Ellie Diehl, and Grace Shifflett. Emma Ricci, the hero from Saturday's sectional semifinal, made her 88th career appearance in the Royal Blue and Silver for CNU. 

With the victory, Christopher Newport advances to face top-ranked Washington University (Mo.) following a 1-0 win over Chicago in the quarterfinal round. It will be the first ever matchup against the Bears. The game will be played at UNLV on Friday, December 6 with a game time yet to be announced. More details will be announced on NCAA.com and CNUsports.com as they are made available. 

CNU will be appearing in the national semifinals for the third time in program history after facing Williams in the 2018 Final Four and Loras on route to a national championship in 2021.