The Virginia Wesleyan University women's soccer (17-4-2, 9-0-1 ODAC) fell to No. 1 Christopher Newport in the sweet sixteen of the 2023 NCAA DIII Women's Soccer Tournament 1-0. 

The Marlins had a great game defensively holding the No. 1 team in the country to two shots on goal in the first 45 minutes. The Marlins managed one shot on goal and both teams had one corner kick. 

Virginia Wesleyan's best chance was off a corner kick where the Captains had a failed clear that found the foot of several Marlins, who took shots that were blocked by the CNU defense. In total, the ball was in the six-yard box for close to 20 seconds before the host cleared it away.

With two of the best defenses in the country on the field, the game was destined for overtime. In the first overtime period, the Captains scored in the first minute to take a 1-0 lead. 

The Marlins managed to get two shots off in the second overtime period but could not get the ball in the back of the net to conclude the 2023 season.

The Marlins had a great season, going undefeated in conference play for the eighth time in program history. VWU had one of the toughest NCAA schedules in the country facing No. 20 Montclair State in the first round, No. 9 Johns Hopkins in the second round, and facing No. 1 CNU in the sweet sixteen.