NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Playing in her final home regular season game, Christopher Newport senior Hanna Heaton made sure to make it a memorable moment when she treated a near capacity crowd to a thrilling game-winning strike in the second half against 12th-ranked Swarthmore College (11-2-2) to lift the 13th-ranked Captains (11-1-2) to a 2-1 win at Captains Field. Junior Bella DiTommaso added the game's first goal and assisted on the winning tally to help lift CNU to the nationally-ranked win. 

Heaton and the other eight CNU seniors were recognized and honored in a pregame Senior Night ceremony before taking on the pivotal top-25 matchup. With the win, the 2025 seniors improved to 38-1-3 all-time at Captains Field for a winning percentage of 94 percent. 

Protecting the home field against one of the nation's top programs in 2025, the Christopher Newport defense held the Garnet to just 11 total shots and only four on target. 

CNU jumped out to an early lead on a free kick taken by DiTommaso. The junior from Ashburn, Va. stepped up from just inside 40 yards away from the goal and lifted a service into the box. The ball continued to carry, though, and caught the Swarthmore keeper too high as it fluttered into the back of the net over her outstretched hands. The score was the second of the season for DiTommaso and gave the Captains a 1-0 lead just under eleven minutes into the first half. 

Despite mounting chances in the first half, Christopher Newport would have to settle for the one-goal lead at the break. Lexi Hazelgrove blistered a hard shot on target that was smothered by the Swarthmore keeper and Alex Devers added a whistling line drive that was stopped again. In the 35th minute, Alex Dalakis had another good look for the CNU attack but the Garnet goalkeeper was up to the task again. 

The scored evened just seven minutes into the second half on a corner kick by Swarthmore. After CNU keeper Amy Sidaway punched away the initial cross, the ball settled at the feet of Sydney Ross. Taking advantage of a CNU player on the ground, Ross lobbed a pass into the middle of the box that was headed home by Macie Mangini. It marked just the fifth goal allowed by Christopher Newport this season. 

On the ensuing kickoff, Heaton slipped a pass ahead to Ellie Diehl that caught the Swarthmore defense on their heels. The sophomore laced a hard shot on target but Dahlia Bedward snatched her seventh save of the game for the Garnet. 

The highlight of the match would come in the 73rd minute when the Captains turned to their All-American leader. On a beautiful run up the field, Heaton absorbed contact in the box and went sprawling to the ground. The whistle never came for the senior, but undeterred, she responded on the very next play. With a throw-in coming from DiTommaso on the left sideline, Heaton used the outside of her heel for the first touch to get by a defender and smashed a 25-yard laser into the far pocket of the goal. 

Her sixth goal of the season gives her 81 career points, becoming just the eighth player in program history to reach the 80-point plateau with hers coming in just three seasons. It was her 27th career score, tying her with Paniz Asgari (2002-05) and Dani Gunderson (2010-12) for the 10th most in program history. She also joined the top-ten all-time in career game-winning goals with her ninth winning tally, joining Emma Ricci (2021-24), Ashleigh Dota (2002-05), and Gabby Gillis (2015-18) -- who was inducted into the CNU Athletics Hall of Fame this week -- for ninth most in CNU lore. 

The thrilling finish gave CNU a 2-1 advantage heading into the final 18 minutes of the game and, despite a strong push from the talented Garnet, the Captains held on for the win. Heaton nearly picked up her second goal of the game in the 81st minute with another dart destined for the twine, but Bedward made a highlight-reel diving save to eliminate the chance. 

CNU finished with a 20-11 advantage in total shots including an 11-4 edge in shots on-goal. Sidaway made three saves while the defense had another stalwart performance. DiTommaso was joined by Malayah Warner, Addy Hennessy, Kyleigh Gough, and Avery Spell in disrupting the Swarthmore attack. 

Christopher Newport will close out the regular season on the road with trips to Methodist University on Tuesday, October 21 and Salisbury University on Saturday, November 1. The Captains will then participate in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament from November 6-9 on the Salisbury campus.