NEWPORT NEWS, VA (WTKR)- The 757 could be treated to a match-up of neighboring teams in the national quarterfinals this weekend.
Christopher Newport and Virginia Wesleyan both take the Captains' home pitch on Saturday for the NCAA Division III Sweet 16. With wins on Saturday, the two would meet each other for a trip to the Final Four on Sunday.
CNU head coach Jamie Gunderson remembers hosting Lynchburg College in the 2018 Elite Eight in front of a packed crowd under the lights. It was a great soccer environment that could come to the Newport News campus again on Sunday if the chips fall right.
"Having them right across the water, I think it's going to be something like that again," he said of a potential meeting with the Marlins.
Both teams have taken different paths to arrive at this point. Christopher Newport is the defending national champion and brings a 43-match unbeaten streak into the Sweet 16. The Captains are 18-0-2 on the season.
"We've been there and we've done it," Gunderson said. "Having that knowledge and being there and have done it just makes a big difference in knowing what we can really accomplish."
"Saturday, getting to play in front of a home crowd, most of our other sports are done now so all of our friends get to come out," fifth-year forward Sarah Smith added. "You're one of 16 left. How cool is that?"
On the other side of the water, Virginia Wesleyan is enjoying its first Sweet 16 since 2006 after a first round NCAA Tournament exit in 2021. The Marlins are 17-2-3 and fell in penalty kicks to Roanoke in the ODAC title game, snapping a five match winning-streak.
"We've been to the NCAA Tournament a ton, 13 or 14 times since we've been here," said VWU head coach Jeff Bowers. "It's just another big game on our end of things and we need to come prepped to play and we think we're capable of competing with anyone in the country for sure."
"It's a lot of fun," said senior defender Sam Crawford. "It's always been our goal to go as far as we could and making it to the Sweet 16 is amazing."
Christopher Newport takes on Trinity University on Saturday, while the Marlins face off with Wisconsin-La Crosse. Sunday's Elite Eight game will feature the winners of Saturday's matches hitting the field for a 3:00 battle for a ticket to the Final Four.
The two 757 foes met during the regular season, a 2-1 Captains win back on September 7 on the Marlins' home field.
