ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- The Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team will open up postseason action on Tuesday when the Captains head to St. Mary's for the first round of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament at 4 p.m. at Seahawk Stadium.

The Captains, who enter the postseason as the league's No. 5 seed, boast a 9-7 record, including a 3-4 mark in conference action. St. Mary's, who earned the CAC's No. 4 seed, stands at 8-8 with a 4-3 record in league play.

On March 22, the two teams met in Newport News with the Seahawks securing a tight 10-7 victory. During the game, Ashton Marshall recorded a hat-trick, while Jessica Singer and Kylie Chaplin both contributed three points as well. Despite those efforts, St. Mary's pulled out the win behind five goals from Christy Bishop.

Overall, the two programs have met eight times with SMC holding a 5-3 edge in the all-time series.

Entering the postseason, the Captains will look to rely on their potent offensive attack, which ranks second in the league with a 13.44 goals-per-game average. Marshall has been at the forefront of the offense. Currently, she leads the conference with 74 points and ranks second with 53 goals.

Along with Marshall, Meaghan Galvin sits fourth in the CAC with 40 goals, while Singer's 54 points rank eighth overall. Freshman Erin Callahan has also chipped in with a team-high 22 assists, while Marshall has added 21 helpers as well.

On the other end, Hanna Slough leads the league with 152 saves, while reigning CAC Defensive Player of the Week Emily Johnson is second with 37 caused turnovers. Fellow senior Morgan Smith has also forced 22 miscues, and Kirsten Mendelsohn has 15.

St. Mary's has been led by Shelby Newman, who sits second in the league with 72 points. Tori Poffenberger has also been a serious threat on the offensive end, collecting 40 goals for the Seahawks. Along the back line, Paige Decker has 18 caused turnovers and 17 ground balls, while Kayla Dunn has a .462 save percentage and a 9.62 goals-against-average.

The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to the semifinals for a battle against top-seeded Salisbury.

---CNU---