Live Stats  ||  Live Video

SALISBURY, Md. -- The 5th-seeded Christopher Newport men's soccer team will return to action on Wednesday afternoon, as the Captains (14-3-4) travel to top-seeded Salisbury University (12-1-5) for a nationally-ranked showdown in the CAC Tournament semifinals. CNU, ranked 20th in the D3soccer.com national poll, will take on the Sea Gulls, ranked ninth in the NSCAA, at 2:00 pm with live stats and live video available online. 

Both teams have pieced together stellar seasons in 2014, though through two very different forms of play. On one hand, the Captains feature one of the nation's elite offensive attacks, scoring 59 goals this year led by a pair of 30-point scorers. With 2.81 goals per game, CNU ranks 20th nationally in scoring offense while leading the league and ranking among the top ten nationally in total goals and total points. On the other side of Wednesday's contest, the home Sea Gulls feature one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, ranked sixth in the nation in goals against average (0.42). Salisbury also ranks 15th in shutout percentage, posting 11 clean sheets in 18 games this season. 

Earlier this season, the two teams battled to a 1-1 double overtime draw, one of five ties this season for the Sea Gulls. Christopher Newport was one of just seven teams to score a goal on the vaunted Salisbury defense, doing so at the SU Soccer Complex on October 23. Sophomore Preston Key connected on the scoring strike, giving the Captains a 1-0 lead; the Sea gulls would draw even on a penalty kick goal just six minutes later. The Salisbury defense gave up 16 CNU shots, the most allowed in CAC action to that point in the season, including six on target.

After posting an 8-0-3 record in a season-long 11-game unbeaten streak, the Captains encountered a tough 0-2-1 run in the following three games. Needing a win to get into the CAC Tournament, CNU has managed to right the ship with a 5-1 win over Marymount to end the regular season, followed by a 2-0 victory at Mary Washington in the CAC Tournament first round. The high-octane offense appears to be firing on all cylinders yet again, as senior Jalon Brown and sophomore Patrick Burns continue to pace the potent attack.

Brown continues to re-write the CNU record book, scoring his 40th point int he Captains' last contest, becoming just the fourth player in program history to reach the mark. His career-best 17 goals are paired with six assists to lead the conference in goals scored and points, while ranking among the top 15 nationally in both categories. Burns has broken out in his second year, scoring 11 goals while adding a league-best 11 assists for the Captains. 

Salisbury has allowed just eight total goals this season and no team has scored more than one goal in a game since August 30 when Brockport State tied the Sea Gulls, 2-2, in the second game of the season. Senior defender Logan Becker anchors a tough back line in front of junior goalkeeper Drew Staedeli, who has helped lead a defense to 11 shutouts this year. Staedeli has ten solo clean sheets, and boasts a 0.38 goals against average this season. 

The winning team in Wednesday's CAC Semifinal matchup will advance to the 2014 CAC Championship Game on Saturday. They will face the winner of the other CAC Semifinal matchup between second-seeded Penn State Harrisburg and sixth-seeded St. Mary's (Md.), kicking off at 6:00 pm Wednesday.