NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Facing adverse conditions including a late change in venue and a driving rainstorm throughout the second half, the Christopher Newport women's soccer team persevered for a hard-fought 2-0 win in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Semifinals against #4-seed Salisbury University (7-12-1). The Captains scored twice early, with senior
Lexi Hazelgrove factoring into both plays, and held on for the team's 12th shutout in 16 games this season.
With the win, the Captains improved to 11-2-3 overall and advanced to the C2C Championship game for the sixth consecutive season. CNU will face off on Sunday at Noon against #2-seed Mary Washington (12-2-3), who also won 2-0 against #4 UC Santa Cruz on Friday, with the league's title and automatic qualifying berth on the line.
After receiving a first round bye in the quarterfinal round by virtue of being the top seed, the Captains squared off against Salisbury after the Sea Gulls earned a quarterfinal win against JWU-Charlotte. The game started on a wet, drizzly afternoon at Jennings Family Stadium and by the end of the match, the teams were caught in a steady storm that dumped nearly two inches of rain on the players as they endured the challenging conditions.
The Captains jumped out to a big lead early with two goals in the first 18 minutes of action. The first came in the eighth minute when senior midfielder
Lexi Hazelgrove split a pair of Salisbury defenders with a gorgeous through ball to junior forward
Grace Shifflett making a run in the middle. Shifflett paid off the pass with a blistering line drive shot into the right side of the goal for the first score of the afternoon.
Shifflett's third goal of the season would hold up as the gamewinner but Hazelgrove added one of her own for insurance just over ten minutes later. A picture-perfect set piece played out for the Captains as
Bella DiTommaso stepped up to a free kick on the Salisbury side of the field and delivered an exceptional pass into the box. Hazelgrove was on the receiving end and powered home a header for the score, picking up her second goal of the season.
From there, the Captains utilized the two-goal advantage and leaned on their dominant defense as they have all year long. DiTommaso was joined on the back line by sophomores
Nora Cook and
Malayah Warner along with rookie
Catie Borsuk and the quartet played the full 90 minutes on the back line. With
Amy Sidaway in goal, the Captains defense allowed just two shots on-goal in the game and Sidaway stoned both.
Earning the team's 12th shutout of the season, the Captains rank among the national leaders in total clean sheets this season. Sidaway played full time between the pipes and picked up her 44th career shutout to tie Ohio Northern's Meagan Grierson (2016-19) for ninth on the all-time list at the NCAA Division III level.
While the defense tormented the Salisbury attack, Christopher Newport had several more opportunities that nearly resulted in a third goal. The biggest such chance came in the 73rd minute after a corner kick was not cleared by the Sea Gulls and the ball landed at the feet of junior midfielder
Avery Spell. The Virginia Beach native eyed the goalkeeper and shot a short-range missile off her right foot that looked destined for the back of the net, but the Captains' veteran was denied by a Mary Washington player on the goal line, keeping her out of the scoring column.
The Captains put seven of their 11 total shots on frame in the game and were led by Shifflett and Hazelgrove with three shots apiece including two on target.
Anaya Lozano and
Bella Aguayo also added shots on goal in the game for CNU.
CNU will look to capture the team's fifth conference crown in six seasons under head coach
Jamie Gunderson when they return to the field on Sunday. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com with kickoff slated for 12:00 p.m. from Captains Field.
