Live Stats

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- In the midst of a three-game winning streak, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will wrap up its early-season homestand on Thursday when CNU welcomes Eastern to town for a 7 p.m. battle at Captains Turf Field.

Nailing down victories in each of their last three games, the Captains enter Thursday with a 3-1 record. Eastern has also been hot lately, boasting a pristine 3-0 mark to kick off the 2014 campaign.

Since the program was founded in 2007, Christopher Newport has only faced Eastern twice in men's lacrosse. Both meetings came during the first two years of the program. The Eagles won the first match-up, 11-8, in 2007 before the Captains struck back with a 9-7 triumph one year later.

Anchoring this year's edition of the Captains, freshman Brooks Billings has a team-high 11 points, while Aaron Chrzaszcz has scored nine times. Adam Abbate and Billy Crist have also collected nine points apiece. Overall, CNU has a well-balanced attack with eight players boasting at least three goals. The Captains have averaged just a shade under 11 goals per contest so far this year.

Not to be overlooked, Nick Kirschke has also excelled on faceoffs, winning 63 percent of his battles. The freshman, who added a pair of goals during his last outing, has won 59 of his 93 attempts. That includes an incredible 18-of-21 performance against Ferrum, which earned him CAC Co-Player of the Week accolades.

In addition to the team's offensive attack, Christopher Newport has also received strong contributions from its defensive unit. Freshman Matt Hayden has a .558 save percentage and a 9.71 goals-against-average, while Steven West has a team-high 11 caused turnovers. Brenden Dwyer and Teddy Pekalski have also forced nine apiece to balance out the back line.

The Eastern Eagles have looked impressive in the early going and are currently receiving votes in the latest USILA National Poll. Grant Ferguson leads the team with 16 goals, while Eric Waibel has also chipped in with nine scores. The squad has also benefited from outstanding work on faceoffs as Matt Lee and Joe Palo have combined to win 52 of 70 attempts.

Yielding just eight goals-per-game, Pat Groschan has anchored the Eastern defense. He currently has a .500 save percentage in 180 minutes of action. Jordan Norris has also helped out on the back end with six caused turnovers, while Mark Cyron has forced five.

---CNU---