NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Junior Hanna Heaton scored a brace and Molly Seventko added an unassisted tally in the second half as the 5th-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team pulled away from the University of Texas at Dallas (0-1-1) in front of a raucous crowd on Friday night. The Captains notched their first multi-goal performance of the season while securing a third straight shutout to improve to 2-0-1 so far. 

Controlling the match from the start, the balanced depth of Christopher Newport led to a lopsided shot count with the Captains holding a 30-3 advantage in the game. CNU took 20 shots after the intermission and half of those attempts were put on target as the Captains peppered the Comets goalkeeper with attempts after halftime. 

Heaton put away the eventual gamewinner in the 14th minute, but the bulk of the offensive action came in the second half where the junior added her second score in the 52nd minute and Seventko closed out the scoring in the 65th. Numerous additional opportunities mounted in the second half including a flurry of four shots-on-goal from three different players in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the stanza. 

In the first half, the opportunities were there as well, but the Captains did not take as many shots with just 10 attempts. The first goal of the match would come on a misplay by the Comets defense after a beautiful setup from the CNU attack. On the right side of the field, Emma Ricci played back to Bella DiTommaso to trigger a pair of one-touch passes from the sophomore defender and sophomore midfielder Lexi Hazelgrove. The second pass set Ricci free down the right side and after a short run, the fifth-year lofted a high pass into the box where it bounced once, over the head of the defender, allowing Heaton to step in and tuck a finessed shot into the right side of the goal. 

The lead would double early in the second half after that initial flourish saw CNU attempt seven shots with one corner kick in the first 6:19 of the second half. Alex Devers, who took three of those seven shots, had an attempt blocked but the Comets were unable to clear the play. Instead, Corinne Kulik tracked down the loose ball and lobbed a short pass over the back line for Ricci, who chested the ball down to her feet for a pass back across the middle. Looking for Heaton in the middle, the pass was just behind her, but a nifty heel flick by the crafty veteran was enough to get the outside of her foot on the ball and redirect it into the right corner for the score. 

The second score of the game marked the second two-goal game of her tenure at Christopher Newport in her 24th game. 

Stoked into a relentless attack at halftime, the Captains kept blazing toward goal for the majority of the second half. Less than a minute of game time later, Hazelgrove had a shot blocked and Kyleigh Gough followed with a long-range attempt on target. Kulik then added a shot that hushed the crowd for a moment as it whistled just wide right. In total, the Captains finished with 11 shots in the first ten minutes of the second half with six on frame. 

After things settled for a stretch, the Captains called on reserve Molly Seventko in the 64th minute. Not on the field for even a full minute, the junior received a pass from Alex Dalakis near the top of the box. She drove right at her defender and then to her right to get free for a shot from just inside the corner of the 18-yard box. The right-footed blast was perfectly placed, just beyond the outstretched arms of the goalkeeper and into the far pocket for the score. 

While the offense continued to fire on all cylinders, the defense secured its third shutout of the season in as many games. Sophomore goalkeeper Amy Sidaway needed to make just two saves to lock down the clean sheet and made both in the second half. In front of her, Reanna Slater and Nyah Savage played full time while Bella DiTommaso and Bella Aguayo helped combine for the blanking. In the defensive midfield, Gough played the bulk of the minutes while Brooke White and Avery Spell helped keep the Comets to just three total attempts from the field. 

With the win, CNU improves to 62-0-8 since the start of the 2021 season and has now reached 70 consecutive games without a loss. In those 70 games, CNU has 53 shutouts with Savage starting all 70 contests. 

The Captains will close out the weekend at home on Sunday morning at 11:00 am as they welcome Ohio Northern University to Captains Field. Live stats and a live video stream will be available at CNUsports.com.