DOVER, Del. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will compete in its first-ever conference game this weekend when the Captains battle Wesley in a Capital Athletic Conference showdown at Scott Miller Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m.

After spending the program's first seven seasons as an independent member of the NCAA, CNU will officially kick off its league slate against Wesley. Christopher Newport enters the contest at 5-1 after ripping off a program-best five-game winning streak. Wesley has also been strong in the early going, notching a 4-1 mark so far this year.

Saturday's match-up will mark the first meeting between the two programs.

In their last outing, the Captains stormed past Virginia Wesleyan, 18-9, on March 12. Brooks Billings had three goals and an assist, while Randy Foster and Adam Abbate added hat-tricks as well. Freshman Nick Kirschke also won 17 of his 28 faceoff attempts and picked up seven ground balls against the Marlins.

So far this season, Aaron Chrzaszcz leads CNU with 13 goals. Billings has also contributed 11 to go along with five assists, while Adam Abbate, Billy Crist, and Gregory Limon all have at least 10 points as well. Crist has been the top facilitator with eight assists. Limon and Dave Magdeburger have also dished out at least five helpers during the first six games.

Matt Hayden has anchored the squad between the pipes with a .524 save percentage and a 9.06 goals-against-average. He has been helped by an intimidating back line which has caused 73 turnovers this season. Brenden Dwyer leads the group with 14, while Teddy Pekalski and Steven West have forced 12 apiece.

Wesley ripped off four straight wins to open the year before suffering a 12-11 setback against Salve Regina last Saturday. During the contest, the Wolverines vaulted out to an 8-4 lead at halftime but were out-paced over the final two quarters. Mike Rakos finished the game with four goals and two assists, while James Moss also scored three times.

Overall this year, Sam Seibert leads Wesley with 21 points and 14 assists. Rakos has also chipped in with 18 points, including 16 goals, while Jack Redefer has scored 11 times. Jack O'Neill has been the squad's faceoff specialist, winning 72 of his 119 battles. He also has a team-high 42 ground balls.

On the defensive end, Sam Kennedy has a .641 save percentage and an 8.60 goals-against-average. Eric Bohns has helped out on the back end, causing a team-best 12 turnovers.

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