DELAWARE, Ohio -- The third-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team will put its sterling record to the test this weekend as the Captains (4-0-0) hit the road for the first time this season. CNU will face No. 8 Case Western Reserve University (5-0-0) on a neutral field at Ohio Wesleyan University on Friday evening at 4:00 p.m. before facing the host Battling Bishops (3-1-1) on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m.

It will be the first matchup ever for the Captains against both the Spartans and Ohio Wesleyan this weekend. CNU played on the home field of Case Western Reserve during the 2021 NCAA Division III Women's Championship on route to the national championship, taking on Trinity (Texas) and Chicago in the sectional round. CNU women's soccer has never played at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex in Delaware, Ohio, where both games will be played this weekend. 

CNU will play in the first game on both days in doubleheader action as Ohio Wesleyan will face Ohio Northern on Friday night before Case Western takes on Ohio Northern on Sunday afternoon. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for all the action from Ohio with links available on the women's soccer schedule at CNUsports.com. 

The Captains have opened the season with four straight wins at home and have yet to surrender a goal against. The CNU defense, led by junior goalkeeper Amy Sidaway, has held opponents scoreless through 360 minutes of action this season. Junior defender Bella DiTommaso has paired with rookies Malayah Warner and Addy Hennessy to start all four games on the back line while senior Kyleigh Gough has helped secure the defensive end of the field. 

On the offensive end, CNU has piled up 10 goals in four games with three different CNU players scoring five points so far. Lexi Hazelgrove, Hanna Heaton, and Molly Seventko have each contributed two goals and an assist through the early portion of the season while junior Alex Devers has chipped in a pair of goals so far. 

CNU will be taking on a nationally-ranked Case Western squad who has flexed it's offensive mettle through the first five games by outscoring opponents 26-0. The Spartans rank sixth nationally in offensive efficiency with 5.20 goals per game whlie also shutting out each of their first five opponents. Maggie Farra has scored 18 points on eight goals and two assists to lead the way while Molly Shamah has added three goals and three helpers. Ceci Dapino has chipped in two game-winning goals with eight points while Jamie Goldfarb also has four goals this season. In goal, Ellie Palaian has faced six shots on-goal, stopping all of them while playing the full 450 minutes so far. 

On Sunday, CNU will face the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops with a 3-1-1 overall record so far. After a season-opening loss to Mount St. Joseph, 2-0, the OWU squad has outscored opponents by a count of 6-1 to win three of the next four matchups. Offensively, Beatrice Douglas-Arnold has led the way with three goals including one game-winner. Ava Bruns has added two goals and an assist, including one gamewinner, while Jazlyn Brooker has netted the last tally for the Bishops with a winner against Baldwin Wallace. In goal, Natalie Ryan has played all 450 minutes and boasts a 0.60 GAA with an .889 save percentage. 

Christopher Newport will return home to Captains Field for their next matchup when they host Roanoke College on Wednesday, September 17 at 5:00 pm.