NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Junior Lexi Hazelgrove put away the game-winning goal for the second game in a row with a first-half header that lifted the third-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor (1-1-1) on a beautiful Friday night at Captains Field. CNU earned a third straight shutout to start the season and improved to 3-0-0 with the win. 

Hazelgrove has caught fire to start the year, collecting her second game-winning goal through the first three games and adding an assist to lead the squad with five points through three games. She is also one of the team's workhorses, leading all midfielders and ranking fourth on the team in minutes played among field players with 254. 

In Friday's victory, the Captains held a decided 25-4 advantage in total shots in the game and outshot the Cru on goal by a count of 6-2. The defense continues to shine in the early portion of the season with rookies Malayah Warner and Addy Hennessy pairing up with junior Bella DiTommaso and senior Kyleigh Gough to control the back side of the CNU formation. The defense notched their third shutout to tie the program record for the most shutouts to start a season -- tying 2019 and 2024. 

In goal, Amy Sidaway played the full 90 minutes to secure her third solo shutout of the year and 25th clean sheet of her career. She made an outstanding diving save in the 24th minute to keep the Cru off the board and secured another save in the final 15 seconds of the game when Gracie Ruthven unleashed a laser from 20 yards that Sidaway smothered for the stop. 

CNU scored the lone goal they would need to capture the win in the 21st minute when rookie Addy Hennessy played a cross in from the right side. The ball was at the perfect height in the box for Hazelgrove to power home a header into the left side for the score. It was Hennessy's second assist of the young season. 

Christopher Newport pressured the Mary Hardin-Baylor goalkeeper, Emma Edwards, a number of times including a beautiful connection in the second half that saw an Alex Devers shot saved off the line. Hennessy nearly scored a goal of her own off a corner kick when her header slammed off the crossbar and just stayed out of the goalmouth on the ricochet down into the turf. Devers powered another shot off a late slide from her defender on a breakaway in the 80th minute and the Captains were unable to connect on another score. 

Hazelgrove's tally was enough, though, and CNU secured another win at home to extend the longest active streak of home games without a loss in the NCAA. CNU has now registered 48 consecutive games on that run while posting an impressive 43-0-5 record at Captains Field in five seasons under head coach Jamie Gunderson. 

Christopher Newport will return to action on Sunday morning when the Captains face Mount St. Joseph University (1-1-0) at 11:00 a.m. The Lions suffered a 2-0 loss at Virginia Wesleyan on Friday night after opening the season witha  2-0 win against Ohio Wesleyan last weekend.