NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After falling behind, 1-0, in the second half, Christopher Newport senior forward Molly Seventko scored her sixth goal of the season to equalize in the 61st minute, but the visiting Penn State Harrisburg Lions (15-5-4) brought the 14th-ranked Captains' season to a close in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a game-winning goal in the 87th minute. Penn State Harrisburg advanced to the second round with a 2-1 victory while Christopher Newport wrapped up the 2025 campaign with a 14-2-3 overall record. 

The gut-wrenching finish for the Captains came after Abigail Frew connected on a header off a free kick with just under four minutes remaining in the second half to put the visitors back on top, 2-1. It marked the first time this season the vaunted CNU defense had allowed more than one goal in a game and just the seventh time in the last five seasons that a team has scored multiple times against the Captains in a game. 

The first round exit ends a streak of eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances by the Captains with at least one win. 

The matchup, played at Captains Field in front of a hefty postseason crowd on a crisp fall evening, featured 13 Christopher Newport shots including five on frame. The CNU defense allowed just five total shots in the game with only four on goal while being led by a standout performance from rookie Malayah Warner. Warner was flanked by Addy Hennessy for the full 90 minutes while Kyleigh Gough also played 90 but shifted into the midfield for much of the second half. Nora Cook and Bella DiTommaso played a vital role in the defensive performance, which held the Lions to just two first-half attempts. 

Christopher Newport held an 8-2 advantage in total shots in the first hafl and also took four first-half corner kicks. CNU pressured the Lions goalkeeper with three attempts on frame but Alexis Valenta stopped each to keep the game scoreless at the half. 

It was just over a minute into the second half when Penn State Harrisburg struck first with a dart from outside the 18 by leading scorer Diana Pon. Falling behind their opponent for just the third time this season, the Captains switched into a different formation to try and find the equalizer. The move by head coach Jamie Gunderson paid off in the 61st minute when Seventko sprang free for a breakaway after a misplay by the Lions defense. 

Lexi Hazelgrove played a pass across the middle that a Harrisburg defender tried to clear away, but it ricocheted back toward her own goal and directly in front of Seventko sprinting down the field on the left side. Needing to beat just the goalkeeper, the senior made sure not to miss, driving into the box and sliding a well-directed shot low and into the right corner of the goal. 

The game-tying goal evened the match and both teams struggled for quality opportunities for the remainder of regulation. Until the 87th minute when a foul close to the box provided the visitors an opportunity to get another ball into the box for the game-winning finish. 

Seventko led the Captains with five shots, including two on-goal. Hazelgrove had a pair of attempts with one on target, as did sophomore Ellie Diehl. Coming off the bench, junior Bella Ventimiglia added one shot on target for the Captains while DiTommaso had two and Avery Spell blasted one shot off a defender early in the contest. 

Penn State Harrisburg advances to face No. 11 Rowan University in the second round on Sunday, November 16, at 6:00 p.m. Rowan defeated No. 16 Misericordia, 4-3, in a penalty kick shootout after playing to a 1-1 draw in the other first-round