Salisbury: Live Stats // Video Stream
St. Mary's (Md.): Live Stats // Video Stream
SALISBURY, Md. -- Wrapping up a month long road trip, the third-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will make a pair of appearances in Maryland as the Captains travel to No. 6 Salisbury on Saturday at 1 p.m. before heading to St. Mary's (Md.) on Monday at 5 p.m.
Entering the weekend, CNU sits at 9-1 on the season, including 7-1 on the road. Meanwhile, Salisbury is 9-2 overall, and St. Mary's (Md.) is 6-6.
Christopher Newport was last in action on Sunday when the Captains knocked off Roger Williams, 5-0, in Bristol, Rhode Island. Against the Hawks,
Riley Iasiello recorded her third career multi-goal effort, while
Caroline Hughlett,
Calli Martin, and
Avery Mast also found the back of the cage. It was the fifth time this season that CNU had at least four different goal-scorers in a single game.
Hughlett's tally was her 30th career strike, making her the 13th Captain to reach that benchmark. It was also her 11th career game-winning goal, which moved her into a tie for third on the program's all-time charts.
Sunday's victory was also the squad's seventh shutout of the season. Only Stevenson (9) and Bowdoin (8) have blanked more opponents this year. Meanwhile, CNU's 0.30 goals-against-average is the second-best mark in the nation.
On an individual level,
Ella Fallen leads the NCAA with a .931 save percentage and sits second nationally with a 0.24 goals-against-average. Along with Fallen, defensive stars
Kendall Gibson,
Gigi Stephan, and
Kelly Via have helped hold the opposition to a microscopic .054 shooting percentage. That is currently the finest rate in program history.
Along with the defense, Christopher Newport is third in the nation in scoring offense with a 4.60 goals-per-game average. Meanwhile,
Lindsey Loar's 2.40 points-per-game rate slots her 23rd on the individual charts.
Salisbury enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak, including back-to-back seven-goal eruptions against SUNY Morrisville and Oneonta. Freshman Layla Kent has led the recent surge with two straight multi-goal efforts after sinking a pair of tallies against Morrisville and three against Oneonta. So far this season, she ranks 23rd in the country with a 2.36 points-per-game average. That also places her first among freshmen.
Along with Kent, the entire team ranks 32nd on the NCAA charts with a 3.00 goals-per-game rate. On the other side, Salisbury is 11th in scoring defense with a 0.95 goals-against-average. Between the pipes, Maddie Castaneda has a .676 save percentage and 23 total stops, while Regan Worley has two defensive saves.
St. Mary's (Md.) is on a two-game roll after knocking off Meredith and Wilson during a four-day stretch. The Seahawks, who will host Immaculata on Saturday before welcoming CNU to town, have faced one of the most challenging schedules in the country this year. Among the squad's six losses, four have come against No. 4 Stevenson, No. 6 Salisbury, No. 19 Washington and Lee, and No. 20 York (Pa.).
Despite the gauntlet, St. Mary's (Md.) ranks in the top-50 nationally in scoring defense with a 1.56 goals-against-average. On an individual level, Sophia Kent - the older sister of Salisbury standout Layla Kent - ranks 16th nationally with a 0.99 goals-against-average. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Olivia Schwenderman, Josie Mascolo, and Safi Stimely all have four goals apiece.
Longtime rivals, Christopher Newport holds a 20-2 edge in the all-time series against St. Mary's (Md.), while Salisbury has a 27-10 advantage against the Captains. Last year, CNU beat the Seahawks, 7-1, during the regular season and knocked off the Sea Gulls twice, including a 1-0 triumph in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
After concluding their road trip on Monday, the Captains will wrap up the regular season with three straight home games beginning on October 24 against St. Francis at 3 p.m.
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