Live Stats // Video Stream

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After earning a first-round bye, the top-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will kick off the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 11 a.m. when the Captains welcome No. 17 Lynchburg to town for a second-round battle at Jennings Family Stadium.

Entering the postseason, CNU sits at 17-0 overall, including 7-0 at home. Meanwhile, Lynchburg is 17-4 with a 7-4 mark on the road. The Hornets advanced to the weekend after knocking off No. 13 Rowan, 3-2, during the opening round in Glassboro, New Jersey.

Tickets for Saturday's contest will be $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, students, and children. They can be purchased with cash only beginning at 10 a.m. inside the main gate at Jennings Family Stadium. CNU students will be admitted free-of-charge with a university ID.

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

This year's trip to the NCAA Tournament marks Christopher Newport's 14th bid to the national playoffs, including seven Sweet 16 appearances, two Elite Eight runs, and a Final Four berth in 2013. Incredibly, all 14 of those postseason outings have come under head coach Carrie Moura's watch. Putting her consistent success into perspective, Moura has coached 78 Captains who played four years with the program. All 78 have advanced to the NCAA Tournament at least once.

Along with Moura's work in the national spotlight, 13 current Captains have already made an appearance in an NCAA Tournament contest. Headlining that group, senior Lily Kerr has started all six postseason games over the past three years while compiling a 1.16 goals-against-average and .800 save percentage in the national playoffs. Fellow fourth-year standout Emily Evans has also made five appearances on the national stage, including all three games during last year's run to the Elite Eight.

Among the other veterans on the squad, Caroline Hughlett and Courtney Hughlett have both started all four playoff games over the past two seasons. Caroline scored a pair of goals during last year's run, while Courtney handed out three assists in the first-round win over St. Mary's (Md.) in 2024 before adding a defensive save in the Elite Eight against Salisbury.

Sophomore Avery Mast also has two goals in the NCAA Tournament after landing a pair of blows against St. Mary's (Md.), while Lindsey Loar sank a strike during that contest as well. Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Kendall Gibson and Morgan Shealer have started three games apiece on the back line.

Despite all of the previous experience in the national playoffs, Christopher Newport enters the 2025 postseason boasting one of the youngest rosters in the country. Among the 28 programs that advanced to this year's tournament, CNU is the only one with fewer than three seniors.

Capitalizing on its veteran experience and youthful exuberance, Christopher Newport pieced together one of the finest regular season runs in program history. The 2025 Captains were the only team to compile an undefeated record entering the postseason. Currently, the squad ranks first in the nation in scoring defense with a 0.34 goals-against-average. CNU also sits second in save percentage (.887), fourth in penalty corners-per-game (11.18), and 12th in scoring offense (3.47 goals-per-game).

Remarkably, Christopher Newport accomplished all of that despite facing one of the most difficult schedules in the country. The squad's opponents during the year combined for a .679 winning percentage, which stands as the third-highest mark in the nation. Seven of CNU's foes eventually earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, while No. 2 Johns Hopkins, No. 5 Salisbury, and No. 18 Williams remain alive in the postseason.

Adding a unique aspect to Saturday's outing, the Captains have not played in a game since they defeated Mary Washington, 3-0, on October 29 in Fredericksburg. The 17-day span between contests marks the longest in-season stretch without a game in school history. Previously, the 2003 team went 14 days between games.

Along with the quiet period in 2003, the longest layoff before an NCAA Tournament contest came in 2008 when the Captains spent 10 days preparing for an opening round battle with No. 10 Johns Hopkins. Incidentally, that year's team kicked off the postseason with a 2-1 triumph over the nationally-ranked Blue Jays on the way to an appearance in the Sweet 16.

While Christopher Newport has been untested for over two weeks, Lynchburg comes into Saturday after upending No. 13 Rowan, 3-2, in a road tilt on Wednesday. Kicking off the postseason in style, Khanyisile Mzizi played a role in all three goals after notching two strikes and an assist. Meanwhile, Shay Schoones tied her season-high with nine saves.

Along with Mzizi, three other Hornets earned first-team All-Conference accolades this season as Danielle Coon, Allie Freeman, and Anna Dorrestijn all garnered top plaudits. Dorrestijn was also celebrated as the league's Offensive Player of the Year, while Maddie Schuchter, Aurora Balsamo, Saar Prins, and Olivia Muir brought home second-team citations.

Led by Dorrestijn, Lynchburg features one of the nation's top offensive attacks. The Hornets are averaging 4.33 goals per game, which stands as the fourth-highest rate in the country. On the other side of the field, the team also ranks 23rd in the NCAA in scoring defense with a 1.05 goals-against-average.

Longtime in-state rivals, CNU and Lynchburg have previously met 20 times with the Captains holding an 11-9 edge in the series. However, the two programs have not met since 2022 when Christopher Newport notched a 2-1 victory at Lynchburg. Of the five current players who appeared in that contest, Kerr earned the win after making a pair of saves, while Mallory Lamb and Olivia Muir both started for the Hornets. Additionally, Evans and Lynchburg's Aurora Balsamo saw time in reserve roles.

Saturday's bout will also serve as the second all-time meeting between CNU and Lynchburg in the NCAA Tournament. Previously, the Hornets recorded a 1-0 triumph during the opening round of the 2010 playoffs at Captains Turf Field.

The winner of Saturday's game will return to action on Sunday at 1 p.m. for a date with the survivor of a second-round clash between No. 5 Salisbury and No. 11 Dickinson.

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