NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The final home regular season game of the year sets up to be a pivotal Capital Athletic Conference clash as the 20th-ranked CNU men's soccer team hosts Salisbury University (9-3-1. 4-0-1) at 5:00 pm on Wednesday evening. The game will serve as Senior Night for the Captains as the team will close the regular season with two games on the road.

This week, CNU slipped to 20th in the latest NSCAA National Rankings, while dropping to 15th according to the D3soccer.com Top 25. Salisbury is receiving votes in the NSCAA Division III rankings, one week after being slotted in at No. 25 nationally. Both teams are also ranked regionally, as the Captains check in at No. 3 and the Sea Gulls at No. 4 in the South Atlantic Regional Rankings released on Tuesday. 

The Captains are coming off their first loss of the season, dropping a 2-0 decision to Wesley College on Saturday night and seeing their overall record drop to 10-1-4, with a 3-1-2 record in CAC action. The setback snapped a 22-game unbeaten streak and saw CNU fall to fourth in the CAC standings. Eight teams are still eligible for six spots in the 2015 CAC Tournament, with just three games remaining for the Captains and Sea Gulls to battle for seeding. The head-to-head matchup on Wednesday could be a potentially crucial tiebreaker as the regular season comes to a close. 

Coming into Wednesday's tilt, the Sea Gulls own a slight advantage in the all-time series, 16-14-2, as the two teams have been matching up since the early years of CNU soccer. Last season, CNU played Salisbury twice, taking a 1-1 draw on the road in the regular season before downing the Gulls, 2-0, in the CAC semifinals, also away from home. 

Both teams feature a pair of strong defenses, as CNU has allowed just 11 goals while Salisbury has given up just 10. Senior goalkeeper Nolan Mann has done the bulk of the work between the pipes for CNU, and boasts a 0.59 goals against average, ranking 29th nationally. Offensively, junior Patrick Burns ranks third in the conference with 19 points on eight goals and three assists. Senior Ryan Balfour has added 12 points on five goals and two assists for the Captains, while also putting away three game-winning goals. 

Salisbury has been led by a pair of players with four goals this season, registering eight points in the first 13 games. Junior Leslie Umunna and sophomore Brooks Zentgraf lead the way, while four more Sea Gulls have five points or more this season. Senior All-Conference goalkeeper Drew Staedli has been a steady presence in net for Salisbury, posting a 0.75 goals against average as the only keeper to see action this season. He has five shutouts and a 85.9% save percentage. 

The game will be broadcast live online with live stats also available at CNUsports.com/live. It will be played as the front end of a doubleheader with the women's teams set to match up at 7:00 pm.