Postgame Press Conference

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Playing in the first overtime period against Berry College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, junior midfielder Michael Hackworth capped a highlight-reel game-winning goal with a header into the back pocket to lift the 22nd-ranked Christopher Newport men's soccer team to a 2-1 win on Saturday afternoon. The Captains (13-2-5) advance to face the host and 13th-ranked Lynchburg (15-1-2) after the Hornets disposed of Transylvania, 4-0, in the opening round.

With the score level at one goal apiece, the Captains needed extra time to pick up the win but, with the golden goal, extended a streak of seven straight postseason appearances with at least one win. 

Capturing the winning goal was Hackworth in the 106th minute of play off a pair of passes from Ben Sullivan and Joe Summerfield. After battling injuries and playing in his first game since October 22, the junior midfielder from Yorktown, Virginia cashed in on his first collegiate goal with the winner, driving a header into the turf and into the right side of the netting. 

As good as the finish was, the assist was equally as dazzling. With the Captains re-setting an offensive opportunity through the midfield, the ball was played out to the right side for sophomore defender Ben Sullivan. Sullivan looked ahead and sent a head-high pass toward the top of the box where Joe Summerfield stood waiting with a defender on his back. Reading the pass perfectly, Summerfield reached out and clipped the first bounce with a spinning heel-flick that elevated the ball just enough to loft the rest of the Berry defense. Seeing the play develop, Hackworth sprinted by his man and beat the keeper to the ball for the goal, sending the CNU bench into a celebratory frenzy. 

The win came under the lights at Shellenberger field nearly two hours and twenty minutes after kicking off on a sunny day in Lynchburg, Virginia. When the sun was still out, the Captains took a 1-0 lead in the first half when Asher Kuzemka came through with the game's first goal in the 25th minute. Caleb Jones started the play with a pass into the box for Drew McWhinney, but as it was shuffled away from the goal mouth by a defender, the junior forward tracked it down and laid it off for Kuzemka at the top of the box. The 2024 All-Region defender blistered a hard shot off a defender and in for the score. 

The Captains defense stood tall for the first 75 minutes, allowing just three shots in the first half and weathering a barrage of eight more in the second, but in the 77th minute the Vikings broke through for the game-tying goal. A cross came in from Timothy Ratokhin that got by Hayden Dewey in goal and on the back side, Max Albertson slid through to redirect the pass into the goal. 

The game nearly turned in the 84th minute when Ratokhin had back-to-back shots on-goal against the Captains' defense. The first shot was saved by Dewey, but it rebounded back into the field of play and Ratokhin had a second chance at it from close range. His second shot was on target, but sophomore center back Declan Karney made a sprawling, game-saving stop on the line to clear away the chance. 

The last solid chance in regulation came off the foot of Caleb Jones with a free kick in the 85th minute, but his shot skipped off the turf and into the hands of the Berry goalkeeper for the save. 

Berry falls to 11-6-5 to close out the 2025 season. Christopher Newport will face the host Hornets on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in the second round. 

From the Press Conference: 
Head Coach Justin Chezem -- Hat's off to Berry, they are a fantastic program. Richard is a great coach -- we played them a couple years ago and it was also a one-goal, tough game, a hard game. I watched them to play Southwestern and Trinity, two NCAA, I mean, Trinity is one of the top teams in the country and Southwestern was knocking on the door for an at-large bid. They basically have been in the NCAA Tournament for a week already and we knew we'd have our hands full. I don't think we played very well today and they took advantage of it. My hat's off to them, I thought they were a great team today. 

Senior Midfielder Asher Kuzemka -- All season this has been a team where it doesn't matter if we're having a good day or a bad day, necessarily. We grind it out, and at the end of the day, we come away with a win. That's what championship teams do -- they may not have the best day, but they come out with a W. We grinded it out.