Lindsey Loar
Sydney Smith

Field Hockey

No. 2 CNU Field Hockey Travels to New Jersey for Weekend Battles against Montclair State and No. 10 Stevens

Montclair State: Live Stats // Video Stream
Stevens: Live Stats // Video Stream

MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- 
The second-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will face a pair of road tests this weekend in New Jersey as the Captains will square off with Montclair State on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Sprague Field before taking on No. 10 Stevens exactly 24 hours later at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.

Entering the weekend, CNU sits at 7-0 on the season, including 4-0 on the road. Meanwhile, Montclair State is 2-5, and Stevens is 7-0. Prior to Sunday's bout with the Captains, the Ducks will host Washington and Lee on Saturday.

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

Christopher Newport is coming off of a 1-0 victory over Messiah last Saturday, which ended in the eighth round of an overtime shootout. Following 80 minutes of scoreless action, Kelly Via landed the game-winner after converting her second shootout attempt of the contest. Ellie Nuckols also sank a make-or-break attempt in the fifth round, while Lindsey Loar was successful on both of her tries, including a sixth-round attempt that resulted in a successful penalty stroke by Caroline Hughlett.

On the other end of the field, Lily Kerr picked up six saves during the first 80 minutes of the contest before adding four stops in the shootout, which equaled the most by a Captain in program history. Additionally, Kendall Gibson notched her seventh career defensive save, which moved her into a tie for 10th-place on the program's all-time charts.

Including Saturday's win over Messiah, CNU has blanked five straight opponents. That stands as the second-longest run in program history, trailing only an eight-game stretch from September 8 - October 6, 2007.

Overall, Christopher Newport leads the nation with six total shutouts this year, while the squad's 0.41 goals-against-average is the fifth-best in the country. On an individual level, Kerr is 15th in the NCAA with a stellar .857 save percentage, and Gibson has a pair of defensive stops.

Montclair State has faced a challenging schedule in the early part of the 2025 campaign. The Red Hawks opened the year with a 1-0 win over No. 12 Cortland before falling to No. 19 MIT, 1-0, just two days later. The team has also dropped a 3-1 decision to Franklin & Marshall, who is currently ranked 16th in the nation, before suffering a hard-fought 1-0 setback against Messiah, who opened the year ranked ninth.

So far this season, Sadie Eichlin leads Montclair State with three goals, while Natalie Surma has three points, including the game-winning tally against Cortland. Between the pipes, Sydney White has a 1.86 goals-against-average and .814 save percentage. The sophomore is averaging 8.14 saves per game, which places her 32nd on the national charts in 2025.

Entering the weekend as one of seven undefeated teams in the country, Stevens has already knocked off a pair of nationally-ranked opponents this year. The Ducks downed No. 11 York (Pa.), 2-1, on August 29 and No. 18 Rowan, 5-1, on September 10. Incredibly potent at home, the team has outscored its opposition, 15-1, at the DeBaun Athletic Complex this fall, including a 10-0 triumph against Eastern on Saturday.

Overall, Stevens ranks seventh in the NCAA with a 4.29 goals-per-game rate. On an individual level, Gabi Moroney leads the team with eight goals and 17 total points, while Sophia Cozza has six strikes of her own. Taylor Brooks also ranks second on the team with 14 points, including six assists. On the back end, Lily Wierzbicki is 13th in the country with a 0.63 goals-against-average.

CNU has not faced Stevens or Montclair State since the 2012 season. During that campaign, the Captains upended Stevens, 3-2, during a neutral-site showdown in Alexandria, Virginia before falling to Montclair State, 1-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Salisbury.

After this weekend, Christopher Newport will return to action on October 1 when the Captains come home for a 6 p.m. showdown with Catholic.

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Players Mentioned

Kendall Gibson

#6 Kendall Gibson

M/D
5' 2"
Junior
Caroline Hughlett

#7 Caroline Hughlett

A
5' 3"
Junior
Lily Kerr

#24 Lily Kerr

GK
5' 4"
Senior
Lindsey Loar

#8 Lindsey Loar

A
5' 4"
Junior
Ellie Nuckols

#4 Ellie Nuckols

M/D
5' 6"
Junior
Kelly Via

#16 Kelly Via

A
5' 2"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Kendall Gibson

#6 Kendall Gibson

5' 2"
Junior
M/D
Caroline Hughlett

#7 Caroline Hughlett

5' 3"
Junior
A
Lily Kerr

#24 Lily Kerr

5' 4"
Senior
GK
Lindsey Loar

#8 Lindsey Loar

5' 4"
Junior
A
Ellie Nuckols

#4 Ellie Nuckols

5' 6"
Junior
M/D
Kelly Via

#16 Kelly Via

5' 2"
Sophomore
A