Norfolk State announced a non-conference schedule that coach Robert Jones called “the toughest schedule I have ever had in my coaching career here at NSU.”

The Spartans will open at Echols Hall at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 against Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Some of their notable games are Nov. 9 at home against James Madison, Nov. 12 at William & Mary, Nov. 16 at Hampton and Nov. 20 at Stanford. They also will play at Baylor on Dec. 11 and Tennessee on New Year’s Eve.

Virginia announced that Oct. 5 will be the day for its annual, free Blue-White scrimmage at John Paul Jones Arena. The time is to be announced.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

NSU to open season at home vs. W&M

Norfolk State, which has won the last two MEAC titles, revealed its non-conference schedule. It will start with home games at Echols Hall Nov. 4 against William & Mary and Nov. 7 at Longwood.

Among the Spartans’ highest-profile road opponents will be Missouri (Nov. 10) and Alabama (Nov. 13) before a Nov. 16 “Battle of the Bay” at Hampton.

At the Puerto Rico Shootout in San Juan from Nov. 28-30, NSU will play, in order, Washington State, Wyoming and Green Bay.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

ODU safety wins Sun Belt award

Old Dominion safety Jahron Manning was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week.

In his home debut, Manning intercepted two passes and made 10 tackles (one for a loss) in a 20-14 loss to East Carolina. He was the first Monarch since Christian Byrum in 2014 to pick off two passes in a game, tying a school record.

NSU QB shares MEAC award

Norfolk State quarterback Jalen Daniels was named a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week. He was 14 of 21 for 210 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s 28-23 victory over Virginia State, as well as rushing for 31 yards and a TD on 11 carries.

Tribe stays at No. 13

William & Mary remained at No. 13 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 after a 40-21 loss at FBS Coastal Carolina.

Other ranked Coastal Athletic Association teams are No. 5 Villanova (2-0), No. 17 Albany (1-1) and No. 22 Elon (1-1). Richmond (0-2) dropped out of the top 25 after losing at home to Wofford.

W&M was also 13th in the coaches’ poll, while Villanova was fourth and Albany 15th.

Kickoff times set for Sept. 21

Kickoff times and networks were announced for some Sept. 21 games.

They included: James Madison at North Carolina at noon on ACC Network, N.C. State at Clemson at noon on ABC (WVEC in Hampton Roads), Virginia at Coastal Carolina at 2 p.m. on ESPN+, and Rutgers at Virginia Tech at 3:30 on ACC Network.

COLLEGE MEN’S SOCCER

USA South honors Kempsville alum from Methodist

Methodist’s Cameron Lambert, a freshman from Virginia Beach’s Kempsville High, was named the USA South Athletic Rookie of the Week after scoring his first collegiate goal. It was a game-winner in the 67th minute of the Monarchs’ 2-1 victory over Hood.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Hickory graduate, W&M players take CAA awards

Elon senior Sydney Love, a senior from Hickory High, was named the CAA’s Offensive Player of the Week. She averaged 4.31 kills per set during the Phoenix’s 3-1 week, and she posted two double-doubles (24 kills and 11 digs against Gardner-Webb and 16 kills and 10 digs versus UNC Greensboro).

William & Mary junior middle blocker Olivia Esposito was named a CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week after the Tribe to a 2-1 record in a tournament at Kaplan Arena. She shared the award with the College of Charleston’s Tynley Smeltzer.

For the week, Esposito recorded 29 blocks and 24 kills while hitting .444 in four matches. She leads the CAA with 36 blocks, while W&M is second in the country with 74.

COLLEGE MEN’S GOLF

Tribe fifth with 18 holes to go in Greensboro

With one round left in the Bryan National Collegiate tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina, William & Mary held fifth place among 10 teams.

The Tribe compiled a 293 in Sunday’s first round and a 290 Monday for a 583 total on Bryan Park’s Champion Course.

LOCAL TENNIS

Charity Tennis Classic at Kingsmill Tuesday

The annual women’s doubles Charity Tennis Classic, which has benefited organizations serving women and children around the Williamsburg area since 1994, is set for Tuesday at Kingsmill Tennis Club.

The higher-level 9.0 and lower-level 7.0 divisions will be contested.

Hampton University achieved its first victory of the season, defeating Delaware State 3-1 Sunday with a late flurry in Dover.

HU, under first-year coach Scot Vorwold, broke a 23-game winless streak Sunday, about three weeks after a scoreless draw against Howard ended the Pirates’ 20-match losing streak. Both of those streaks stretched to 2022.

Menchville High graduate Madisyn Strange gave HU a 1-0 lead 13 minutes into the game. Trinity Surowiec of DSU (0-7) tied the score in the 77th minute, with 13:06 remaining, but the Pirates had an answer.

Ellen Van Caenegem netted the tiebreaking goal with 8:46 to go, and Zaria Ascue all but ensure the victory by scoring with 4:28 remaining. The Pirates outshot the Hornets 29-7.

No. 5 CNU extends unbeaten streak to 71

Christopher Newport (3-0-1), ranked fifth in Division III, netted a trio of second-half goals in a 3-1 home victory over Ohio Northern (2-1). The victory extended the Captains’ unbeaten streak to 71 matches.

Goals by Hanna Heaton and Alex Dalakis put CNU ahead 2-0. The Polar Bears’ Jess Gast ended CNU’s season-opening shutout streak of more than 338 minutes, cutting the lead to 2-1 in the 69th minute, but the Captains’ Ellie Cox registered her first goal of the season just 54 seconds later.

Host Old Dominion (5-2) dominated Longwood 2-0. Rhea Kijowski scored in the 18th minute, and Katie Lutz knocked in a pass from Brooke Edwards in the 82nd. Erin Jones made three saves for a shutout.

Princeton (3-1) won 2-0 at William & Mary (4-3) despite being outshot 11-9, ending the Tribe’s four-match winning streak. Brooke Dawahare netted a shot from just outside the box in the 28th minute, and Pia Beaulieu made it 2-0 off a restart in the 84th.

No. 4 Virginia (7-0) blanked Howard 4-0 before 1,302 in Charlottesville, outshooting the Bison 33-0. Samar Guidry, Ella Carter, Kiki Maki and Allie Ross scored.

Northwestern (5-2) blanked Virginia Tech 1-0 in Evanston, Illinois, with a goal by Caterina Regazzoni in the 66th minute. The Hokies went to 5-2-1.

Texas-Dallas (1-1) won 2-1 at Virginia Wesleyan (0-2-1), frustrating a Marlins team that began the year ranked 12th in D-III. After goals by the Comets’ Chelsea Vilca in the third minute and VWU’s Emma Shuey in the sixth, UTD’s Kaley Robison broke the tie more than 82 minutes later by scoring with 1:35 remaining.

COLLEGE MEN’S SOCCER

Hokies stay unbeaten with road victory

Virginia Tech (4-0-1) handled Furman 3-0 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Ethan Hackenberg scored in the 19th minute, Carter Hensley in the 76th and Olafur Floki Stephensen in the 78th. The Paladins fell to 2-2-1.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

ODU wins twice at Villanova tourney

Old Dominion (5-2) won its last two matches at Villanova’s tournament.

Saturday, the Monarchs edged Loyola Maryland 3-2 (26-24, 23-25, 18-25, 25-15, 15-10). Myah Conway and Elissa Maggi led ODU in kills with 14 apiece, while Ashlynn Belcher led the way in assists with 30.

Sunday, ODU beat Villanova 3-1 (16-25, 25-11, 26-24, 25-18) behind Conway’s 17 kills and six blocks, Maggi’s 13 kills and Belcher’s 39 assists and 11 digs.

COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY

ODU downs W&M, stays unbeaten

Old Dominion (4-0) won 4-1 at William & Mary (0-4) as Tess Jedeloo scored twice and Sanci Molkenboer had a goal and an assist.
Pyper Friedman scored for the Tribe in the 50th minute, but ODU’s Sian Emslie provided a rebound goal in the 58th.

No. 3 Virginia (3-0) defeated No. 11 Liberty 2-1 in Lynchburg. After goals by UVA’s Suze Leemans in the 18th minute, and LU’s Josefina Tomasi in the 49th minute, Jans Croon scored the decisive goal off a defender’s stick on a penalty corner with 4:19 remaining, dropping the Flames to 2-1.

Christopher Newport (3-0), ranked seventh in D-III, won 4-1 at Haverford (2-1) in Pennsylvania on goals by Avery Mast, Maddison Steele, Emily Evans and Sierra Pratzner. Delaney Norr, Steele and sisters Courtney and Caroline Hughlett had assists.

With starter Justin Armbruester pitching five solid innings, the Tides led 7-2 after six, much of it thanks to their suddenly prolific shortstop. Goodrum had three of Norfolk’s 10 hits. He slugged a three-run homer to right in the first inning and a two-run homer to left in the third. That gave him five RBIs for the game and 14 over the Friday-Saturday-Sunday stretch.

The most memorable of that stint was Friday, when his walk-off grand slam gave him six RBIs for the night.

The Knights (63-71, 30-30 in the International League’s second half) pulled even with a five-run seventh off reliever Carlos Tavera, with the last run courtesy of a passed ball by touted catching prospect Samuel Basallo. Colson Montgomery’s sacrifice fly in the eighth off Nick Vespi (2-2) broke a 7-7 tie, and Oscar Colas’ homer to right-center in the ninth capped the scoring.

The Tides (62-76, 26-37) will head to Durham for their final road series of the season, a six-game set starting at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday. Two Baltimore relievers are expected to join them on rehabilitation stints after elbow problems: Jacob Webb on Tuesday and Danny Coloumbe on Wednesday.

Edwards won the 17-driver race, which took more than 41 minutes and 8 seconds, by a scant 227-thousandths of a second over Mark Wertz. Ryan Matthews took third, 0.652 of a second behind Edwards, who began the night with a 16-point lead on second-place Wertz.

Edwards’ four victories this year are second only to Connor Hall’s eight. Hall is competing regularly on the CARS Tour, a NASCAR feeder series, and isn’t aiming for the Langley title.

In Saturday’s other races:

Grand Stock: Tim Wilson scored a comfortable 3.941-second triumph over runner-up Bill Eaker, and Paul Lubno came in third in the field of eight, 7.237 behind the victor. Their 40-lap clash took about 12:40.

This division is one of the most competitive at Langley this year. Wilson, who captured his fifth victory of 2024, began the evening trailing front-running Lubno by two points.

Super Street: Sammy Gaita took top honors in the field of 11, while Sean Calway was the runner-up and Joe Stuck placed third over 40 laps.

Gaita, who claimed his first checkered flag of 2024, took the green flag with a 13-point deficit to Dale Nichols, who drove Saturday’s fifth-place car.

UCAR: Jesse Jones, who started the evening 13th in points, emerged over 25 laps among 13 drivers to register his first victory of the season.

Points leader Mikey Chinn was the runner-up, 2.332 seconds behind in a race that lasted about eight minutes. Thomas Fontaine was third in the race, matching his position in points.

Legends: Charlie Beals achieved a 25-lap victory in about 15:42, while Cody Carlton was 873-thousandths of a second behind for the runner-up spot. Devon Courtney took third among 14 competitors, trailing the winner by 1.183.

Carlton began the race with a seven-point edge on second-place Beals, whose three victories this season are tied for the division’s most.

Bandolero: Andrew Sheffield maneuvered to a 15-lap victory by just 0.212 of a second over Nevaeh Edwards, with Myelih Smith capturing third place among eight drivers. The clash lasted just more than 9:55 and was Sheffield’s first checkered flag this year.

Edwards began the night 15 points behind division leader Bryson Nichols, who wasn’t in the race.

______

Saturday night’s leaders in Hampton (car numbers).

Late Model 100: (17 starters); 1. (21) Greg Edwards; 2. (55) Mark Wertz; 3. (51) Ryan Matthews; 4. (00) Chase Burrow; 5. (77) Connor Hall.

Grand Stock 40: (8 starters); 1. (17) Tim Wilson; 2. (29) Bill Eaker; 3. (14) Paul Lubno; 4. (26) Nate Lundin; 5. (22) Mike Parker.

Super Street 40: (11 starters); 1. (21) Sammy Gaita; 2. (12) Sean Calway; 3. (16) Joe Stuck; 4. (20) Gordon Weeks; 5. (8) Dale Nichols.

UCAR 25: (13 starters); 1. (5) Jesse Jones; 2. (3) Mikey Chinn; 3. (64) Thomas Fontaine; 4. (6) Christian Keller; 5. (99) Crystal West.

Legends 25: (14 starters); 1. (5) Charlie Beals; 2. (11) Cody Carlton; 3. (17) Devon Courtney; 4. (87) Tommy Jackson; 5. (48) Mason Weakley.

Bandolero 15: (8 starters); 1. (54) Andrew Sheffield; 2. (02) Nevaeh Edwards; 3. (89) Myelih Smith; 4. (00) Georgia Causey; 5. (3) Jase Rogers.

The Tides (62-75, 26-36 in the International League’s second half) will try to split the six-game series when it concludes Sunday afternoon.
After squandering a four-run lead, Norfolk went ahead for good, 5-4, when top catching prospect Samuel Basallo belted a home run, his second in Triple-A, to center in the fifth inning. According to the Tides, it went 455 feet for Norfolk’s longest home run of the year.

Goodrum, who won Friday’s 8-6 game with a walk-off grand slam, hit a two-run single in the eighth. That gave him nine RBIs in two nights. Basallo then came home on TT Bowens’ groundout to third base.

Basallo scored three times, and Forrest Wall was 2 for 4 with four runs.

For the Knights (62-71, 29-30), the top affiliate of the MLB-worst Chicago White Sox, Colson Montgomery and Carlos Perez each were 3 for 5 and scored a run, and Rafael Ortega was 2 for 4 with a solo homer and two RBIs.

Brandon Young (5-3) gained the victory despite one of his worst starts as a Tide. He gave up 10 hits and four runs in five innings, walking two and striking out three.

Relievers Kade Strowd, Brooks Kriske and Colin Selby, a Western High graduate, completed the victory by combining for four scoreless innings.

It was quite a day for jockey Manuel Franco, who won seven races. Deterministic was his sixth victor of the day.

Coming on the outside, Deterministic passed jockey Antonio Gallardo on Aspen Dawn to claim the $500,000 Grade III stakes.

“I’m just happy to have had this unbelievable day,” Franco told the Richmond Times-Dispatch as he walked the track amid fans’ cheers. “As soon as I asked my horse, he responded, pulled me where I wanted going through the far turn. As soon as my horse hit the clear, he gave me a nice kick home.”

Franco, a Puerto Rican who won the 2020 Belmont Stakes aboard Tiz the Law, was a key figure in the 14th running of the Virginia Oaks.

Franco’s horse, Style Points, edged Deep Satin as officials determined the outcome of a race ruled a “dead heat.”

Franco’s seven victories on the day, a career-high for him, tied the Colonial Downs record set by Mario Pino in 2021. Pino is the track’s all-time wins leader, with 7,001 in 42,630 starts.

Riding Mrs. Astor, Franco gained his seventh victory in the day’s finale, Chelsie’s Birthday Race.

Colonial Downs senior director of marketing Nate Mize said Saturday, the culmination of nine weeks of racing at Colonial Downs, provided a “fantastic turnout” amid excellent conditions.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the community support today at Colonial Downs,” Mize told the Times-Dispatch, adding that he hadn’t seen that many people at the track in quite some time and that the track this season introduced a more “family-friendly dynamic.”

Next year’s Virginia Derby will be held on Saturday, March 15, and will be a qualifier for the Kentucky Derby.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Five-set wins send Marlins to 6-0

Virginia Wesleyan improved to 6-0 with a pair of five-set victories Saturday at Messiah’s tournament in Pennsylvania.

First, the Marlins outlasted Haverford 3-2 (25-17, 21-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-8) as the Fords fell to 4-3. Hannah Smith had 20 kills and 14 digs for the Marlins, while Madi Schmidt had 15 kills and 10 digs. Madeleine Hanes made 22 digs.

VWU then pulled out another 3-2 decision, downing Messiah 25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 27-29, 15-6. Smith had 20 kills and 14 digs, Schmidt had 15 kills and 10 digs, and Salena Jones tallied 40 assists and 11 digs.

ODU earns neutral-site, five-set triumph

Old Dominion (4-2) slipped past Loyola Maryland 3-2 (26-24, 23-25, 18-25, 25-15, 15-10) at Villanova’s tournament. The Greyhounds went to 1-5.

Myah Conway and Elissa Maggi led ODU in kills with 14 apiece, while Ashlynn Belcher led the way in assists with 30. Alice Munari recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 14 digs, with Kate Kilpatrick also racking up 14 digs.

CNU sweeps team from Texas

Christopher Newport (3-3) swept Schreiner 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-20) at Marymount’s tournament in Arlington as Alyssa Dozier had 15 kills and Macy Burk 13.

Alyssa Vitale recorded 41 assists, and her former Princess Anne High teammate Noelle Starr led the defense with 15 digs. Schreiner, from Kerrville, Texas, fell to 4-2.

W&M takes two of three in Tribe Invitational

William & Mary (3-3) won both of its Saturday matches in the Tribe Invitational at Kaplan Arena, improving the Tribe to 3-3 for the season and 2-1 for the round-robin tournament.

W&M defeated Quinnipiac 3-1 (25-12, 23-25, 25-18, 25-12) as Devereaux Hoxsie had nine kills and three blocks, Olivia Esposito had 10 blocks and seven kills and Bella Easton had 19 assists and and seven digs for the Tribe.

W&M then overcame George Mason 3-2 (18-25, 25-18, 27-25, 26-24, 15-7) behind Maddie Meyers’ 22 kills and Easton’s 28 assists and 11 digs, while Hoxsie added 12 kills. The Patriots fell to 2-4.

Friday night, Bucknell edged W&M 3-2 (25-22, 22-25, 25-16, 15-25, 19-17).

Pirates lose pair

Hampton (0-6) fell in two straight-sets matches at American University’s tournament in Washington.

North Texas (2-4) defeated Hampton 3-0 (25-11, 25-11, 25-9), though Morgan Warren had three kills, three assists and three digs for the Pirates (0-5).

Hampton then lost 3-0 (27-25, 25-7, 25-19) to Georgetown, though Warren had a career-high 16 assists and Kylah Hunter had 13 digs.

Regent goes 1-1 for day

Regent (1-4) split a pair of matches in South Carolina, defeating Johnson & Wales of Charlotte 3-0 before losing 3-0 to Clinton.

COLLEGE MEN’S SOCCER

No. 24 Hofstra repels Tribe

No. 24 Hofstra (4-0-1) won 1-0 at William & Mary (2-2) in the Coastal Athletic Association opener for both teams, though the Tribe outshot the Pride 18-10, including 11-3 in the second half.

Laurie Goddard scored in the 39th minute for Hofstra.

CNU prevails via late goal

Barry Jones broke a tie with 4:33 remaining as host Christopher Newport (2-0-2) defeated Widener of Pennsylvania 2-1. The Pride, which lost to Virginia Wesleyan on Friday, dipped to 1-2-1.

The Captains’ Trevor Smith netted a penalty kick in the 51st minute, only to see Widener pull even on Sean Fatiga’s goal in the 59th.

VWU incurs first defeat

Concordia (1-0-1) of Austin, Texas, handed Virginia Wesleyan (3-1) its first defeat, beating the host Marlins 1-0 on Theo Givens’ goal in the 29th minute. (The Captains and VWU switched foes from the previous day.)

Regent blanks Gallaudet

Regent (3-1) shut out Gallaudet 2-0 on goals by Drew Thomas in the second minute and Cameron Laubach on a 15-yard free kick in the 37th. Thomas knocked in a corner kick by Johnnie Soto Fercovic.

This is the first time the Royals ever have beaten two Division III programs in the same season; they also won at Greensboro College.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S SOCCER

Pfeiffer stifles Regent

Regent (1-3) lost 4-0 to Pfeiffer as Khamani Spencer scored two of the three first-half goals for the visiting Falcons (2-0) in about a six-minute span.

COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY

No. 7 CNU earns shutout

Christopher Newport, ranked seventh in Division III, defeated No. 18 Franklin & Marshall 3-0 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Avery Mast scored in the 23rd minute and Emily Evans in the 29th, and Caroline Hughlett converted a penalty stroke in the 38th for the Captains (2-0), who held a 24-9 advantage in shots over the Diplomats (0-4). CNU goalie Lily Kerr had four saves.

LACROSSE

HRA player commits to Sewanee

Hampton Roads Academy standout Kate Lasley committed to play for Sewanee (the University of the South) in Tennessee.

TENNIS

UVA recruit wins U.S. Open boys title

Spain’s Rafael Jodar, who plans to play for the Virginia Cavaliers in 2025, won the U.S. Open boys singles championship in New York.

He did so by defeating the winners of the other three junior Grand Slam events in the final three rounds, beating French Open winner Kaylan Bigun of the U.S. 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 7-5 in a quarterfinal, Australian Open champ Rei Sakamoto of Japan 6-3, 6-1 in a semifinal and Wimbledon victor Nicolai Budkov Kjaer of Denmark 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (10-1) for the title.

They ended a five-game losing streak when Niko Goodrum slugged a two-out grand slam in the ninth inning for an 8-6 victory over the Charlotte Knights at Harbor Park.

It capped a big night for Goodrum, who finished with six RBIs. Two of them came on a second-inning single that put Norfolk (61-75, 25-36 in the International League’s second half) ahead 3-1.

Charlotte (62-70, 29-29) bounced back with four home runs in a three-inning span. Colson Montgomery and Danny Mendick hit solo shots before Michael Chavis’ two-run homer in the eighth gave the Knights a 5-3 edge. Carlos Perez followed with a bases-empty homer for a 6-3 margin in the eighth.

But in the ninth, it all turned around. A single and two walks loaded the bases against reliever Sammy Peralta.

The Knights went to pitcher Aaron McGarity (8-4), who struck out pinch hitters J.D. Davis and Forrest Wall.

But Jud Fabian singled home a run with a liner to left for a 6-4 game. McGarity got two strikes on Goodrum, but grooved an 0-2 fastball that the left-handed-batting Goodrum launched over the fence in right-center to give many of the 7,638 plenty to celebrate.

The Knights lead 3-1 in the six-game series, which continues at 6:35 Saturday night.

Tides starter Trevor Rogers gave up three runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings. Bryan Baker (2-1) gained the win by striking out three in a scoreless ninth.

The Grade 3, $500,000 Virginia Derby will be run at about 6:15 p.m. Saturday in the 10th of 12 races at Colonial Downs in New Kent County.

Twelve 3-year-olds, led by 3-1 morning-line favorite Deterministic, will race 1 1/8 miles on grass.

The field contains three horses who appeared on the Kentucky Derby trail: Deterministic, Grand Mo the First (4-1) and Fulmineo (15-1).

Deterministic, who won the Grade 3 Gotham race early this year, is trained by Christophe Clement and will be ridden by Manny Franco.

COLLEGE MEN’S SOCCER

ODU, UMBC play to draw

Old Dominion (2-2-1) and Maryland Baltimore County (2-1-2) dueled to a 1-1 draw Friday night in Norfolk.

The Monarchs went ahead on Andrew Bennett’s goal in the 41st minute, only to see UMBC’s Ryan Calheira net the equalizer in the 68th.
ODU outshot the Retrievers 20-7.

UVA drops ACC opener to Duke

Duke (3-1-1) won 1-0 at Virginia (2-2-1) in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams, scoring in the 50th minute.
Both goalkeepers — Duke’s Wessel Speel and UVA’s Joey Batrouni — made just one save each. The Blue Devils outshot the Cavaliers 7-2.

Virginia Wesleyan improves to 3-0

Everett McCloskey scored twice as host Virginia Wesleyan (3-0) handled Widener of Pennsylvania 4-1.

Ilan Mejia put the Marlins ahead in the 16th minute off a JaMarhe Wills assist, and McCloskey made it 2-0 off Alex Moody’s assist 29 minutes into the match.

Nikos Deliargyris put Widener (1-1-1) on the board in the 31st minute, but Nate Mitchell made it 3-1 in the 33rd.

Wills assisted McCloskey 73 minutes in for the second half’s only goal.

Comeback Captains earn draw

Christopher Newport (1-0-2) came back three times, twice on goals by Manzi Siibo, to force a 3-3 draw in Newport News against Concordia (0-0-2) of Austin, Texas.

The visiting Tornados scored in the 32nd, 54th and 78th minutes, but goals by the Captains’ Luke Peri in the 38th and by Siibo in the 67th and 82nd prompted the tie.

Joe Summerfield, Barry Jones and Jason LaViola had assists for CNU.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S SOCCER

No. 5 CNU shuts out Texas-Dallas

Host Christopher Newport (2-0-1), ranked fifth in Division III, cruised past Texas-Dallas 3-0. The Captains extended their unbeaten streak to 70 matches, though that includes penalty-kick defeats.

Hanna Heaton scored in the 14th and 52nd minutes, and Molly Seventko provided the final goal in the 65th. Emma Ricci had two assists, while Lexi Hazelgrove and Corinne Kulik had one apiece.

The Comets, playing their opener, were outshot 30-3.

Ohio Northern knocks off No. 12 VWU

Jill Roberts’ goal in the 71st minute lifted the Ohio Northern Polar Bears to a 1-0 victory Friday at Virginia Wesleyan (0-1-1), the No. 12 team in Division III. Ohio Northern, CNU’s opponent Sunday, outshot the Marlins 17-6.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Princeton slips past ODU in five-setter

Princeton edged Old Dominion 3-2 (13-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-27, 15-12) on the first day of Villanova’s tournament. It was the Tigers’ season opener.

Hailee Blankenship had 16 kills and 10 digs for ODU (3-2), while Alice Munari had 15 kills and eight digs. Ashlynn Beclher had 30 assists and eight digs, while Elisabeth Levick had 25 assists and eight digs and Kate Kilpatrick made 20 digs.

The Tigers’ Sydney Draper had 42 assists and 13 digs.

Bucknell outlasts W&M at Tribe Invitational

Bucknell (3-1) edged William & Mary 3-2 (25-22, 22-25, 25-16, 15-25, 19-17) in a first-round thriller of the Tribe Invitational at Kaplan Arena.

The Tribe (1-3) saved four match points before finally yielding. Maddie Meyers led W&M with 18 kills, while freshman Cate Hatfield achieved her second straight double-double (22 assists and 10 digs).

Olivia Esposito tallied eight kills, six blocks, and four aces for W&M, which held its only match point at 17-16. The Bison won the last three points. Sidney Shaffer led Bucknell with 18 kills and seven blocks.

American (6-0) shut out Hampton 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-8) in Washington, dropping the Pirates to 0-4.

Zedo Yilmaz led the Eagles with nine kills. For HU, Dila Derendeli had six kills, while Kylah Hunter had seven digs.

Captains split two matches at Marymount

Christopher Newport split a pair of matches at Marymount’s quad tournament in Arlington.

The Captains (2-3) began the day with a 3-1 (18-25, 25-17, 28-26, 25-22) loss to Heidelberg, then recovered for a 3-1 (27-29, 25-21, 25-23, 25-22) triumph against Marymount.

Against Heidelberg (3-3), Alyssa Vitale had 36 assists and 15 digs for the Captains, while Macy Burk had 13 kills.

Against the host Saints, Alyssa Dozier had 14 kills and Samantha Dorn had 11. Vitale had 38 assists and nine digs.

Host Livingstone defeated Regent 3-1 in Salisbury, North Carolina, dropping the Royals to 0-3.

COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY

Harvard whips W&M

Emily Bronckers scored twice in the first 15:30 as Harvard (1-0) cruised to a 6-0 victory at William & Mary (0-3). Maddie George made 15 saves as the Crimson outshot the Tribe 26-1.

No. 3 Virginia (2-0) breezed past Temple 7-0 in Charlottesville. Suze Leemans and Emma Watchilla scored twice apiece, dropping the Owls to 2-1.

When: 4 p.m.

On the air: ESPN+, 91.1FM

The Spartans: Norfolk State is looking for its first win at home in more than 1,000 days when it takes the field on Saturday. The Spartans haven’t won a game at William “Dick” Price Stadium since head coach Dawson Odums’ first season in 2021. They enter the game 0-2 after a close loss to FCS nationally ranked Florida A&M and a rough loss to FBS East Carolina last week. Norfolk State’s defense has been a turnover-forcing machine so far, recovering four fumbles and recording three interceptions. Odums and company will look to get some revenge on Virginia State this year after falling to the Trojans in bizarre fashion to open the 2023 season.

The Trojans: Virginia State started its season by beating reigning Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion Benedict College 23-7. The Trojans were led by quarterback Romelo Williams, who threw for 197 yards and a touchdown. Williams was supplemented by Jimmyll Williams, who ran for 150 of VSU’s 187 yards and scored two touchdowns. Virginia State’s defense was all over Benedict last week, forcing three turnovers by way of two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

— Michael Sauls

Virginia Union (1-0) at Hampton (0-1)

When: 6 p.m.

On the air: FloSports, 88.1FM

The Pirates: Hampton is coming off a 30-28 loss to Morgan State in its opener. This week, Hampton will be honoring its 1994 and 2004 HBCU national championship-winning teams who were coached by legendary Joe Taylor – now the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Virginia Union. Hampton’s defense last week was led by veteran linebacker Xavier Marshall, who finished with 10 tackles. The offense was co-captained by quarterbacks Chris Zellous and Malcolm Mays, and that likely will be the case again against the Panthers. Running back Elijah Burris put together 104 total yards and two touchdowns against Morgan State last week; his success will be crucial against Virginia Union.

The Panthers: Virginia Union opened its 2024 season with a bang last week. The Panthers went down early at Kentucky State but scored 69 unanswered points to secure a 69-7 win. Virginia Union’s offense racked up 674 yards of offense, 376 on the ground and 298 through the air. RJ Rosales led the Panthers with 233 yards passing and two touchdown passes, while Jada Byers led on the ground with 211 yards rushing and three touchdowns. VUU’s defense held Kentucky State to just 90 yards of offense and forced two turnovers.

— Michael Sauls

FCS No. 13 William & Mary (1-0) at Coastal Carolina (1-0)

When: 7 p.m.

On the air: ESPN+, 92.3FM, TribeAthletics.com.

The Tribe: Coastal Carolina is more on the level of Charlotte, which the Tribe beat 41-24 two years ago, than the ACC teams W&M usually play when venturing to the FBS level annually, so a noteworthy upset is possible. The Tribe cruised through its opener, beating VMI 41-7 as QB Darius Wilson went 11-of-15 passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns. The defense, a Tribe strength the past two seasons, limited the Keydets to 72 second-half yards. Preseason All-CAA  safety Marcus Barnes had five tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. Safety TJ McGill, a redshirt freshman, added six tackles as the defensive backfield was as good as advertised. It will need to be good again against Coastal’s dynamic pass game.

The Chanticleers: Although this is something of a rebuilding year for a program that has earned four bowl bids since its move to FBS in 2017 — beating San Jose State 24-14 in the Hawaii Bowl last season — the Chanticleers gained 552 yards in a 55-27 win last week at Jacksonville State. QB Ethan Vasko, a former Oscar Smith High star, was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week with his performance of 249 yards passing and two touchdowns, along with a touchdown run. DL Will Whitson, who had six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, is on the Senior Bowl watch list. LB Shane Bruce had eight tackles in the win.

— Marty O’Brien

Last season: 7-4, 5-1 New Jersey Athletic Conference

Coach: Paul Crowley (third season, 14-7)

Storylines

New role as favorite: After climbing past chief rival Salisbury a year ago, CNU was picked to win the NJAC for the first time. The Sea Gulls were predicted second, while The College of New Jersey was chosen third among seven teams. “Our conference, in any given week, anybody can beat anybody,” Crowley said. According to Greg Thomas of d3sports.com, the NJAC was ranked 17th among 28 conferences last year and was 15th in 2022, when Salisbury edged CNU in a regular-season finale for a playoff berth. The Captains have a challenging first two weeks, going to Trine (an Indiana school predicted third in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association) before hosting Johns Hopkins, ranked eighth nationally by d3football.com and coming off a 12-1 season.

Experience abounds: Despite losing several players who garnered all-conference recognition, the Captains aren’t lacking for seasoning. Fifth-year offensive lineman Amaan Miller, a first-team All-NJAC choice, four-year starting center Tyler Palmer from Grassfield High and junior linebacker Masi Bruning from Western Branch are joining Matt Dzierski, Gunner White, Deven Norman, Trey Hayes and Colin Hart among CNU’s leaders.

Few transfers: Retention is more important than gaining players from other schools for the Captains, but former Norfolk State running back Jordin Lennon, a York High graduate, could make an immediate impact. So could Andrew Belford, a 6-2, 225-pound offensive lineman from Atlantic Shores who originally went to Morehead State, an FCS school in Kentucky.

Coaching stability: Crowley and company shared NJAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors with TCNJ last season. Craig Smith, Eli Wicklund, Alex Smith, Matt McLeod, Zbig Kepa and Jonathan Dean remain from that group, and Tyler Wills (running backs/tight ends) and Carson Turner (defensive line) now are in the fold.

Reaching the maximum: The Captains are at the NJAC maximum of 135 players in the program, all of whom can suit up for home games, Crowley said. That helps depth, and CNU tries to get lots of repetitions in practice for guys who won’t play in games this season. About 65 to 67 Captains travel for road contests.

Standouts

Matt Dzierski: Fifth-year sr., 5-10, 174, QB. Dzierski was the NJAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 and ’22, and he gained first-team All-NJAC honors a year ago as he guided the Captains to their first conference title since they left the USA South. The dual-threat left-hander “is really smart, everything you want in a football player,” Crowley said. Dzierski is CNU’s all-time leader in passing yards, completions, completion percentage, pass efficiency and yards per pass.

Gunner White: Jr., 5-8, 185, RB. Dzierski wasn’t the NJAC Offensive Player of the Year in large part because White was. The Tallwood High graduate rushed for 762 yards in 11 games, scored 14 touchdowns and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. The Virginia Beach product is seventh on CNU’s all-time list of rushers with 1,414 yards.

Deven Norman: Jr., 6-4, 290, DL. The Grassfield High graduate anchored a solid defense and gained second-team All-NJAC honors last season. Crowley said one of the Captains’ “core tenets” is stopping the run, and Norman is a huge key for doing so.

Trey Hayes: Jr., 5-10, 185, WR/KR. He’s a threat whenever he gets the ball, and d3football.com named him a second-team Preseason All-American as a return specialist. He led the conference by averaging 27.8 yards on 17 kickoff returns, including a 95-yard touchdown to start an Oct. 14 game at Rowan. He caught 37 passes for 571 yards and six touchdowns, as well as rushing 13 times for 88 yards. He averaged a team-high 106.9 all-purpose yards per game.

Colin Hart: Jr., WR, 5-10, 170. Like his fellow Northern Virginia native Dzierski, Hart was a first-team all-conference and second-team Virginia Sports Information Directors College Division pick. He led the Captains in receiving with 870 yards on 48 catches. He scored 11 times and averaged 79 yards receiving per game.

Schedule

Sept. 7 at Trine, 1 p.m.

Sept. 14 Johns Hopkins, 5 p.m.

Sept. 21 at Gettysburg, 1 p.m.

Oct. 5 at Salisbury, 6 p.m.

Oct. 12 Dickinson, 1 p.m.

Oct. 19 Rowan, 1 p.m.

Oct. 26 at Kean, 1 p.m.

Nov. 2 William Paterson, 1 p.m.

Nov. 9 at Montclair State, 1 p.m.

Nov. 16 The College of New Jersey, 1 p.m.