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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Wrapping up its regular season home slate on Saturday at 1 p.m., the top-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will host No. 14 Rowan on Senior Day at Jennings Family Stadium.

Entering the battle, CNU sits at 15-0 overall and 6-0 at home. Meanwhile, Rowan is 13-3 with a 5-1 mark on the road.

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

Prior to Saturday's game, Christopher Newport will hold its annual Senior Day ceremony during an on-field celebration beginning at 12:50 p.m. The Captains will honor the career achievements of fourth-year standouts Emily Evans and Lily Kerr, who have helped the program compile a remarkable 63-10 record since the start of the 2022 campaign.

Putting that accomplishment into perspective, the 63 victories are already the second-most by a single class in program history. They trail only the 2013 seniors, who produced a 65-14 record. That legendary crew, headlined by current assistant coach and CNU Hall of Famer Marlene Lichty, eventually capped off its run with the program's lone appearance in the NCAA Final Four.

Along with their collective achievements, Evans and Kerr have also solidified their spot as two of the best players in program history. On the offensive end, Evans is averaging nearly a point per game during her tenure while ranking 12th in school lore with 27 total goals. So far this season, she is second on the team with seven strikes, including three game-winners and a crucial third-quarter equalizer during a triumph at No. 10 Stevens on September 28.

On the other end of the field, Kerr has notched 60 victories during her time between the pipes, which equals the 13th-most in Division III history. A two-time All-American, she is also the nation's active career leader with a 0.59 goals-against-average, while her 0.36 mark this year stands as the top rate in the entire NCAA.

Fittingly, both seniors played a key role in Christopher Newport's 7-1 victory over St. Mary's (Md.) on Wednesday. In their most recent appearance, Evans chipped in with three points, while Kerr added a save during a spotless 37 minutes of action. Along with the veteran contributors, Riley Iasiello and Caroline Hughlett added two goals apiece, while Lindsey Loar had a strike and two assists.

With her tally against the Seahawks, Loar became the 20th player in program history with a 10-goal campaign. Additionally, Courtney Hughlett handed out her 30th career assist on Wednesday, tying former standout Haylie Black for the second-most in school history. She sits just three helpers shy of matching the standard set by CNU Hall of Famer Belle Tunstall from 2011-14.

So far this season, Hughlett ranks ninth in the NCAA with a 0.73 assists-per-game average, while Kerr is seventh in save percentage with a stellar .861 mark.

Rowan comes into the weekend on a nine-game winning streak, including overtime victories against No. 15 Lynchburg and No. 22 TCNJ. Battle-tested against top-flight competition, the Profs have suffered only three setbacks this year after dropping tilts against No. 2 Johns Hopkins, No. 12 Stevens, and No. 16 Haverford. 

Boasting a high-powered attack, Rowan ranks eighth in the nation with a 3.94 goals-per-game average. Especially adept at drawing corners, the Profs are generating 12.75 corners per contest, which is the finest rate in the NCAA. On an individual level, Sydney Kowalczyk ranks 15th in the country with 17 goals, including her first career hat-trick on Thursday against William Paterson. Meanwhile, Mariah Juiliano boasts a 1.61 goals-against-average on the defensive side.

In four previous meetings between the two programs, Rowan holds a 4-0 edge in the series. The Profs won the most recent showdown, 4-0, in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The current teams have two players apiece who appeared in that contest. For CNU, Kerr posted nine saves while Evans had a shot-on-goal. On the other side, current team captains Tess Herman and Paige Yocum saw sustained action for Rowan on the way to a Final Four appearance.

Following Saturday's contest, Christopher Newport will punctuate the regular season on October 29 with a 4 p.m. match-up at Mary Washington.

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