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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The top-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team will wrap up a brief two-game homestand on Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Captains host No. 11 Messiah in a top-25 battle at Jennings Family Stadium.

Entering the weekend, CNU sits at 4-0 on the season, including 1-0 at home. Meanwhile, Messiah is 2-3 overall and 0-3 on the road.

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

Christopher Newport opened its home slate last Saturday with a 7-0 victory over New Paltz. Against the Hawks, Lindsey Loar recorded her fourth career hat-trick, equaling former legends Wendy Wilson and Abby Asuncion for the most in program history. Meanwhile, Caroline Hughlett pitched in with five points, while Emma Weber matched her career-high with four, including a pair of assists.

Equally impressive on the other end of the field, CNU did not allow a single shot during the game, marking the first time in two years that the Captains completely blanked an opponent. During the 60-minute affair, New Paltz managed to enter the circle only four times. Eventually, Courtney Hughlett broke up three of those runs, while Avery Mast stymied the final surge to help complete the shutout.

So far this season, Christopher Newport ranks ninth in the NCAA in scoring defense with a 0.50 goals-against-average. Overall, CNU's opponents are averaging only 3.5 shots per game while generating just eight combined corners.

Headlining the work on the defensive side, Kelly Via leads the squad with 233 minutes of action, while Kendall Gibson and Gigi Stephan have both eclipsed 200 minutes on the back line. Additionally, Mast leads the team with two blocked shots, while Ella Fallen ranks eighth in the NCAA with a 0.29 goals-against-average.

Along with the defensive stars, CNU ranks eighth in the country in scoring offense with a 4.50 goals-per-game rate. Remarkably well-balanced, 11 Captains have produced at least two points this season, including Caroline Hughlett, who leads the way with five goals and three assists. Weber is also tied for the team-lead with three helpers of her own.

Messiah enters the weekend on a three-game skid, but the Falcons have played one of the most daunting schedules in the nation this year. Saturday's showdown will mark the squad's sixth consecutive battle against a top-25 foe. The team opened the season with wins against No. 2 Johns Hopkins and No. 9 Dickinson before dropping decisions to No. 3 Salisbury, No. 12 Franklin & Marshall, and No. 14 Ursinus.

During their recent stretch, the Falcons engaged in back-to-back double-overtime thrillers as Messiah came up just short in identical 3-2 decisions to Salisbury and Ursinus over the past week. Despite the outcomes, freshman Addie Weiler has been on an absolute tear with goals in each of her last two appearances after notching her first career strike in her collegiate debut against Dickinson.

Overall, Weiler leads Messiah with seven points this season, while Aubrey Clark has five points, including a pair of goals. On the other end of the field, Addie Musser is tied for 19th nationally with a pair of defensive saves, and Joy Lippert has a .719 save percentage while starting the last three games.

CNU and Messiah have previously met four times with both squads notching a pair of victories. Last year, the Captains picked up a 1-0 win in a marathon battle that ended in an overtime shootout. Among the returning standouts from last year's showdown, Caitlyn Weatherill and Ellie Lefever both converted shootout attempts for the Falcons, while Loar, Via, and Ellie Nuckols combined for five successful tries to lock up Christopher Newport's hard-fought victory.

Following Saturday's action, the Captains will return to the road for a month-long trek, which will include seven games across four states ranging from Maryland to Massachusetts. The squad will begin that stretch with a 4 p.m. tilt at Bridgewater on September 23.

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