Box Score NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The York College women's soccer squad suffered their fourth straight loss as the Christopher Newport Captains scored two early goals to down the Spartans 2-1 in Capital Athletic Conference play on Saturday in Newport News, Virginia.
The Captains improve to 8-3-1 overall and 3-1 in the CAC. The Spartans fall to 3-8 overall and are now 1-3 in the league.
The conference schedule did the Spartans no favors this week as the Green and White had to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia to play Mary Washington on Wednesday followed by the six-hour trip to Newport News this weekend. The Captains took advantage of the road-weary Spartans as Allie McWilliams scored the opening goal just 4:08 into the game. Victoria Perry crossed the ball from the right side and McWilliams chested the ball into the left side of the goal to put the Captains up on their first shot of the game.
The Captains looked primed to blow the Spartans off the field as McWilliams returned the favor to Perry as she hit a long pass over the Spartan defense to an on-rushing Perry who one-timed a shot for the goal. Perry's goal was her 10th of the year and came just 10:02 into the contest.
It was the second straight game that the Spartans allowed a pair of early opponent goals. In Wednesday's loss at Mary Washington, the Eagles scored two goals in the first 18:27 of the game to seize early control of the match.
The Spartans got their bearings and started to play better as they kept the Captains off the board the remainder of the half. The Captains had a flurry late in the half but Spartan net minder Kate Lutte (Catasauqua, Pa./Catasauqua) registered two saves while the other shot hit the cross bar as the Spartans went to the intermission down two goals.
CNU came out of the break and continued to pressure the Spartan defense. The Captains ripped off five shots in the opening five minutes of the second half. Lutte made a fantastic one-on-one save against Perry in the fifth shot of the series. Perry blasted a shot that Lutte took right in the chest as she denied the Captains' top scorer her second goal of the day.
York got on the board after the Captains were called for a handball just outside the box. Senior Chelsea McDowell (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) took the free kick across the box to the back post. Sophomore Corie Elliott (Laurel, Md./Delmar) was able to finish the beautiful pass into the left side of the net, cutting the York deficit to one with just under ten minutes left in regulation. The goal was Elliott's team-leading fourth goal of the year.
Elliott had a chance to tie the game with just under two and half minutes left but her shot slid just wide of the net as York suffered their second straight 2-1 loss.
The Captains dominated the game statistically as they outshot York 25-7 including 11-4 in shots on goal. The Captains held a 5-2 margin in corner kicks in the win.
Lutte was outstanding in net despite the loss. The senior collected a career-high nine saves in her 90 minutes of work. CNU's Carly Maglio notched three saves in the win.
The Spartans return to action on Wednesday afternoon when they host Wesley in a Capital Athletic Conference match. The match at Graham Field is set for a 4:00 pm start.
