LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Making the trek to Wisconsin for the first time in program history, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team will play a pair this weekend away from home. The Captains (5-0-1) are set to play at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for both games and will first take on the nationally-ranked hosts at 4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon. CNU will then close out the trip with a neutral site bout against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with kickoff scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The Captains are coming off a 4-2 win against Trinity University (Texas) last weekend and have now strung together five straight wins after a season-opening draw against then No. 12 Virginia Wesleyan. Against the Tigers, the CNU defense surrendered its first goal in the run of play -- not off a PK or a restart -- in 34 straight games. In that stretch, the Captains allowed only seven total goals with three coming off penalty kicks, three on corner kicks, and one off a free kick from about 25 yards out.
The suffocating defense continues to be one of the finest units in Division III as the Captains are ranked 35th in goals-against average and 32nd in shutout percentage. Through six games this season, CNU has earned four clean sheets while being led by senior All-American center back
Reanna Slater, graduate student
Nyah Savage, sophomore
Bella DiTommaso, and sophomore goalkeeper
Amy Sidaway. As a unit, they are limiting opponents to just 5.0 shots per game this season including just over two per contest on goal.
Meanwhile, on the offensive end, junior
Hanna Heaton headlines a deep stable of options with 12 points on four goals and four assists so far this season. Sophomore
Alex Dalakis has scored three times while grad student
Corinne Kulik has poured in two goals and two assists for six points as well.
Friday's nationally-ranked showdown with La Crosse will be the third matchup between the two programs all-time, with both coming in the last six years. CNU captured a 2-1 win during the 2018 season before hosting UW-La Crosse in a 1-0 win last year. The Sunday morning tilt against Eau Claire will be the first ever meeting.
Wisconsin-La Crosse started the season with a perfect 6-0-0 mark but are coming off back-to-back losses to top-25 opponents. Featuring a relentless assault toward the net, the Eagles rank fifth in the nation in shots per game this season, averaging over 25 attempts per game. Dangerously accurate, La Crosse also ranks 18th in shots on-goal per game, putting nearly half of those 25 attempts on target (11.75).
Wisconsin-Eau Claire comes into the weekend matchup with a 4-4-1 overall record and the Blugolds have scored multiple goals in six of their nine games thus far. Averaging 2.11 goals per game as a team, Eau Claire features a balanced attack that has seen ten different players register at least one goal so far this season.
Christopher Newport will return from the Badger State on Sunday and will return home for a single game next week. CNU hosts Marymount University at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 2.
