BUENA VISTA, Va. -- The season continues for third-ranked Christopher Newport on Tuesday night as the Captains (8-1-2) will travel to Southern Virginia University for women's soccer action. The Captains will look to bounce back after the team's first regular season loss since 2019 when they kick off against the Knights (5-4-1) at 7:00 p.m. 

The game will be played at Knight Stadium in Buena Vista, Virginia where the Captains are 5-0-0 all-time. CNU owns a 12-0-0 record against Southern Virginia University dating back to the 2000 season. The two foes were in the same conference, the Capital Athletic Conference, from 2014 to 2019; since, CNU has won two non-conference matchups in 2023 and 2024. 

Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at game time courtesy of the SVU Department of Athletics. Links to both can be found on the women's soccer schedule at CNUsports.com. 

The Captains are coming off a 1-0 setback to Mary Washington on Saturday evening after starting the year with a ten-game unbeaten streak. Southern Virginia has won five in a row, outscoring their five opponents by a dominant 32-3 advantage in that stretch. For the year, the Knights are 5-4-1 with common opponents Mary Washington (L, 1-3) and Washington and Lee (L, 0-1) on the schedule. 

Tremendous defensive play has been the highlight of the Captains season sof ar with only four goals allowed in 11 games this season. Junior Bella DiTommaso was both a steadfast defender and an offensive weapon last week as she scored her first goal of the year versus Marymount and added five total shots, four on target, in two games for the Captains. She is flanked by rookies Malayah Warner, Nora Cook, and Addy Hennessy on the back line and the young defense has been almost impenetrable, allowing just 7.1 shots per game. 

In goal, junior Amy Sidaway has started all 11 games for the Captains and boasts a 0.37 goals-against average. She has stopped 30 shots on frame with an .883 save percentage while posting six solo shutouts. 

The midfield unit features the bulk of the veteran presence for CNU with senior All-American Hanna Heaton playing in the middle with senior Kyleigh Gough and junior Lexi Hazelgrove. Heaton is tied for the team lead in scoring with 11 points on four goals and three assists. Gough has found the back of the net twice while Hazelgrove ranks third on the team with eight points on three goals and two assists. Hazelgrove also ranks fourth among field players in total minutes played. 

Southern Virginia has piled up the goals of late and is averaging 3.5 per game coming into the mid-week matchup. Delin Peterson is at the top of the attack with nine goals and four assists for a team-high 22 points, while Xoie Warner has added six goals and two helpers for 14 points. Rounding out a talented trio on the attack is Courtney Montes with five goals through the first ten games of the year. In goal, four different SVU players have seen time including starts for three while Beth Manwill (1.40 GAA) leads the way with a 3-3-0 overall record and two shutouts. 

Following the Tuesday evening trip, the Captains will be off for over a week before welcoming Virginia Wesleyan University on Wednesday, October 15. Game time against the Marlins is set for 7:30 p.m. at Captains Field.