BOSTON, Mass. -- Becoming the fifth different Christopher Newport student-athlete to earn men's soccer player of the week recognition this season, senior Alex Stell was named the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday afternoon. Stell helped CNU post a 5-0 shutout against Regent University and also played a key role in holding down sixth-ranked Washington and Lee in a 1-0 setback last week. 

The senior midfielder joins Matt Yates (Sep 14) as the only other CNU player to garner Defensive Player of the Week recognition in 2026. They are joined by Riley Usher (Sep 8), Yazan Yaghmmour (Sep 21), and Michael Hackworth (Oct 5) who all earned Offensive Player of the Week honors from the C2C. 

Stell, a defensive midfielder out of Staunton, Va., played 57 minutes in the first game of the week when the Captains traveled to face the nationally-ranked Generals. The CNU defense held a Washington and Lee offense that was averaging over two goals per game to just one penalty kick score in the matchup. 

Then, against Regent, Stell started on the back line and contributed toward the fourth shutout of the season for CNU. He and the rest of the Captains' defense held the Royals to just three shots on-goal in the game. In the second half, Stell added an offensive highlight to the proceedings when he scored the fifth and final goal of the match. His heads up play to follow a shot by Riley Usher led to an open look from just outside the top of the box and he cashed in a rocket into the top netting of the goal. 

Stell recorded his fourth career goal and his first since September 23, 2023. He celebrated Senior Day with eleven of his classmates and was one of the players in an all-senior lineup that started the game on Saturday against Regent. This season, Stell has factored into all ten games and is averaging over 41 minutes played per game while helping lead the talented midfield corps. 

Christopher Newport will be back in action on Wednesday, October 14 against Dickinson College at 7:00 p.m. The game will be played at RavenTek Park in Leesburg, Va.