NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In a match billed as two of the top defensive stalwarts in NCAA Division III soccer, a total of six goals were scored on Friday night including a feverish second-half rally from the 5th-ranked Christopher Newport Captains as they came from behind to take down Trinity (Texas), 4-2. Coming into the match, the two heavyweights had combined to allow one goal in ten games played this season, but it was the offense that highlighted a historic win for CNU (5-0-1) as the Captains tied the Division III record for most consecutive games without a loss at 73. 

Since the start of 2021, Christopher Newport has posted an overall record of 65-0-8 and has now tied Messiah College (Aug. 31, 2008-Dec. 4, 2010) for the longest streak in NCAA Division III history. The Captains are only the third team at any level to reach 73 straight games without a loss, joining Messiah and Division I powerhouse North Carolina. 

In Friday night's win, graduate student Corinne Kulik and junior Hanna Heaton had the most impressive outing and led the way as CNU scored three second-half goals to win the game. Despite scoring first when Kulik notched her first goal of the season in the 16th minute, the Captains fell behind when Trinity answered with two goals in the final five minutes of the first half. It marked just the third time in the last 34 games that CNU fell behind their opponent and, like the other two, the lead would not hold for the visiting team. 

Just over six minutes of game time after the second Tigers goal was scored, the Captains equalized on a tremendous connection from Heaton to Kulik. The former played a pass beautifully through a pair of Trinity defenders and Kulik was loose beyond the defense for a one-on-one attempt with the goalkeeper. Wasting no time, the veteran forward blistered a rocket from just outside the top of the box, tickling the twine on the right side of the netting to knot the score at two goals apiece. 

It was a brace for Kulik, who had also scored in the first half off feeds from Emma Ricci and Heaton. Heaton played the ball out to the right for Ricci, who immediately served it back across the goalmouth for Kulik who finished on the open net to give CNU a 1-0 lead. It also marked the first goal surrendered by the Trinity defense this year. Then, the Tigers scored their first on a header off a corner kick when Madisyn Barganski drove her shot into the ground and it trickled into the goal; the second was on a second-effort after the defense failed to clear with just 14 seconds remaining in the half and Arianna Balgobin put away the shot to take a 2-1 lead. 

Playing from behind, the Captains continued to look comfortable, especially after equalizing in the 51st minute. The action continued to favor CNU in the next 15-minute stretch, when the hosts would score two more goals to distance themselves from the Trinity. 

The game-winning goal would come in the 58th minute off a corner kick where Heaton snagged her third assist of the game. Heaton became just the 12th player in program history to log three or more assists in a game when she took the ball from the corner and sailed an arcing pass into the box; there, Alex Dalakis leaped and re-directed the ball into the right side off the post and in. Heaton is the first player since Emily Talotta against Salisbury on October 20, 2021 to regiser three assists in a game and Dalakis' goal would stand up as her third game-winning goal of the season on as many tallies for the sophomore forward. 

Now with a 3-2 edge, the Captains would get an insurance goal less than four minutes later. This time, Heaton played the role of goal scorer instead of facilitator as she crashed down the middle of the box with Kulik. Kulik smashed a hard shot off the goalkeeper and the ricochet landed right in front of Heaton where she wasted no time putting it away for the score. 

With the goal, Heaton logged a new career-high with 5 total points. Kulik's assist also gave her a career-high five points in the game with two goals and one helper. With her pass in the first half, Emma Ricci moved into the top-ten all-time in career assists with 18, joining Amanda Peters (2005-08), Carly Utterback (2010-13), Allie McWilliams (2013-16), and Riley Cook (2017-21).

Christopher Newport is scheduled to travel to Wisconsin next weekend to face UW-La Crosse on Friday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. They are also going to face UW-Eau Claire while in the Badger State, kicking off on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m.