Live Stats // Video Stream

SALISBURY, Md. -- The sixth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will contend for league supremacy on Saturday at 6 p.m. when the Captains square off with No. 2 Salisbury in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship at Sea Gull Stadium.

Entering the title bout, CNU sits at 14-1 on the season, including 8-1 on the road. Meanwhile, Salisbury is 14-2 with a 7-0 ledger at home.

For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at SUSeaGulls.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.

Christopher Newport wrapped up the regular season on a five-game winning streak, including four straight shutouts. In their last outing, the Captains knocked off Mary Washington, 3-0. Against the Eagles, Maddison Steele, Caroline Hughlett, and Brooke Billhimer all found the back of the cage, while Emily Evans handed out a pair of assists. 

On the defensive side, Lily Kerr brushed aside three on-target shots by Mary Washington while registering the team's ninth shutout of the year. That stands as the ninth-most by any team in the country in 2024. It also was Kerr's 17th career shutout, tying former All-American Bailey Lien for the most in program history.

Overall this season, Kerr ranks third in the NCAA in save percentage (.869) and fourth in goals-against-average (0.58). Meanwhile, as a team, CNU leads the country in save percentage with an incredible .882 mark. Along with Kerr's starring role between the pipes, Ella Fallen has contributed four stops of her own, while Billhimer and Kendall Gibson have combined for 10 defensive saves.

On the offensive end, CNU is 26th in the nation in scoring offense (3.07 goals-per-game). The Captains are also averaging 9.80 corners per contest, which is the 18th-highest rate in the NCAA. On an individual level, Courtney Hughlett is 13th in assists-per-contest (0.60), while Steele has a team-high 10 goals.

Salisbury has won eight of its last nine games entering the playoffs, including a 1-0 win at TCNJ on Saturday. The Sea Gulls have yet to lose a game in regulation this season. Their only losses have come in overtime at Rowan and No. 19 Shenandoah. Meanwhile, they have knocked off seven nationally-ranked teams, including No. 3 Williams and No. 5 Johns Hopkins.

So far this season, Salisbury ranks second in the country in save percentage (.855), fifth in goals-against-average (0.66), and 15th in goals-per-game (3.44). Abbey McIlvain leads the NCAA in both save percentage (.896) and goals-against-average (0.39), while Arden Hunteman is 14th in goals-per-game (1.00). Marli McDorman also has 24 total points and was honored as the league's Offensive Player of the Year.

The Captains and Sea Gulls last met on October 16 when Salisbury picked up a 3-1 win in Maryland. Hunteman had three points for the victors, while Riley Iasiello scored for the Captains. Kerr also finished with seven saves, while McIlvain had four for SU.

Saturday's game will be the seventh straight league championship featuring Salisbury and CNU. Last year, Christopher Newport came through with a 2-0 win at Jennings Family Stadium.

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