CNU Women's Soccer Closes Season Ranked No. 25 in Final United Soccer Coaches Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Continuing the second longest active national ranked streak in the nation, the Christopher Newport women's soccer team finished the season at No. 25 in the final United Soccer Coaches Division III National Rankings released on Tuesday afternoon. The Captains (14-2-3) have been ranked in every poll since the start of the 2017 season, joining only Johns Hopkins University with an active streak as long as Christopher Newport.

The last time Christopher Newport women's soccer was not listed in the top-25 of the United Soccer Coaches Division III National Rankings was in the 2017 preseason poll released on August 3, 2017. The first poll of the 2017 season started a string of 82 consecutive rankings for the Captains, including every single listing during head coach Jamie Gunderson's five-year tenure.

Over the course of Gunderson's career, the Captains have piled up an unprecedented record of 93-4-12 for a winning percentage of nearly 91 percent. After completing his fifth season at the helm with another standout campaign in 2025, Gunderson officially moves to the top of the list of winningest active Division III coaches with a .9083 winning percentage edging long-time leader Scott Frey (Messiah) with a .9079 mark. The two Division III guides are the only women's soccer coaches in the NCAA with at least five years as a head coach to win over 90 percent of their games.

This season, Gunderson led Christopher Newport back to the top of the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship with the team's fourth conference tournament title in five seasons. CNU dropped just two games -- one in the regular season to National Quarterfinalist Mary Washington, ranked No. 12 in the nation, and once in the NCAA Tournament to Round of 16 participant Penn State Harrisburg, ranked No. 23 in the nation. Additionally, CNU snagged a marquee win against Swarthmore, ranked No. 13 in the final poll, and a pair of draws against No. 7 Washington and Lee and No. 11 Case Western Reserve.

The Captains were led by one of the stingiest defenses in the nation after allowing just seven goals in 19 games played for a 0.37 goals-against average, ranking ninth in the country. The performance ranked as the fourth lowest GAA in program history as CNU piled up the sixth most shutouts, with 13, and ranked 15th in Division III in shutout percentage (.684).

Three-time All-Region goalkeeper Amy Sidaway was at the forefront of the defensive success as she continued her stalwart career between the pipes. In just her third season, Sidaway broke the career record for shutouts at CNU when she blanked UC Santa Cruz in the C2C Championship game. She ranked 8th in goals-against average this season and her 11 shutouts ranked seventh in Division III. Also earning All-Region honors while anchoing the tough back line were senior Kyleigh Gough and junior Bella DiTommaso.

On the offensive end, senior midfielder Hanna Heaton hauled in first team All-America plaudits for the second year in a row to lead the Captains. She was named the C2C Offensive Player of the Year after leading the CNU offense with 21 points on eight goals and five assists in 2025. Junior Lexi Hazelgrove also added All-Region plaudits for the nationally-ranked Captains after finishing third on the team in scoring with eight points on three goals and two assists.

During the season, Christopher Newport closed out the longest active home unbeaten streak with a program record 51 straight games without a loss. The Captains will graduate a significant class of nine seniors but will return eight starters to the lineup in 2026.

Two-time defending national champion Washington University (Mo.) was picked No. 1 in the final poll after a 16-0-2 season. Rounding out the top five in order were Emory, Chicago, Tufts, and Messiah.

National - Poll 10 - December 9, 2025

Rank	School	Prev	W-L-T
1	Washington University (Mo.)	1	16-0-2
2	Emory University	2	15-1-1
3	University of Chicago	7	12-2-3
4	Tufts University	3	14-1-3
5	Messiah University	4	19-2-0
6	Pomona-Pitzer Colleges	5	14-1-3
7	Washington & Lee University	9	17-2-2
8	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	8	20-2-1
9	Middlebury College	12	11-3-3
10	Williams College	10	12-2-4
11	Case Western Reserve University	6	13-2-3
12	University of Mary Washington	NR	12-3-4
13	Swarthmore College	13	14-3-3
14	California Lutheran University	17	0-0-0
15	Johns Hopkins University	19	15-4-1
16	Carleton College	NR	16-2-2
17	Calvin University	NR	14-4-0
18	Rowan University	11	13-1-4
19	University of Rochester	15	8-3-6
20	Misericordia University	16	15-4-1
21	Carnegie Mellon University	18	9-4-5
22	Amherst College	RV	10-4-2
23	Penn State University-Harrisburg	NR	14-5-3
24	Colby College	24	10-4-3
25	Christopher Newport University	14	14-2-3