Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Whitman College's men's soccer team battled host Christopher Newport University to a scoreless tie as the teams headed into the intermission of Saturday's non-conference match-up, but the Captains exploded for three goals over a four-minute span in the second half to sink the Missionaries' upset hopes in a 3-0 loss on day 2 of the Joe Pombriant/CNU Soccer Classic at Captain Field.

Whitman (0-2) had the game's initial scoring chance as Marcos Medina got off a well-struck shot on frame only to watch CNU (2-0) goalkeeper Sam Lesko make a miraculous save to keep the Missionaries off the scoreboard.

Though the Captains piled up 11 shots in the opening 45 minutes of play only one was on goal and it was stopped by goalie Stuart Ellsworth late in the half. Whitman rang up five shots in the half with Medina's the only one to make it on frame.

The ebb and flow of the first half evolved into a relentless attack from CNU as the second half wore on. The eventual game-winner for the Captains came at the 64:37 mark when Sean Christein collected a loose ball inside the top of the box and re-directed it into the left side of the net after Whitman had blocked a shot from in close on the right seconds earlier. Two minutes later Christopher Newport's Patrick Burns picked up the first of two goals, capping off the scoring with his second marker only two minutes later in the 69th.

Whtiman simply had difficulties generating a transition game into its attacking end over the final 45 minutes of action as the Captains' offensive pressure and midfield presence locked play on the Missionaries' side of the midline for the majority of the half. Though they limited CNU to only seven shots in the second half, the Missionaries were unable to get off a shot over that span.

Monday brings a second consecutive first-time opponent for the Missionaries as they close out their East Coast swing with a trip to Ashland, Virginia, where they will square off against Randolph-Macon College at 1:30 p.m. PT.