NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team has been selected fourth in the Capital Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll and will kick off the 2015 season on Saturday when the squad welcomes Washington & Lee to Captains Turf Field for a 1 p.m. battle.

After advancing to the CAC semifinals last season, the Captains earned 44 points in the 2015 preseason poll and were one of only two teams to secure a first-place vote. Salisbury, who captured last year's NCAA Championship, was tabbed as the preseason favorite after collecting 64 points and the other eight first-place votes. York and Mary Washington rounded out the top-three in the voting.

Sitting in fifth place, St. Mary's followed the Captains in the poll, while Marymount, Frostburg State, Wesley, and Southern Virginia comprised the rest of the preseason standings.

Guiding the program in her eighth season as CNU's head coach, Carolyn Query will lead a solid collection of returning standouts in 2015. Christopher Newport welcomes back eight starters from last year's squad, including reigning CAC Rookie of the Year Meaghan Galvin. Erin Callahan and Kylie Chaplin will help anchor the attack as well after combining for 64 goals and 34 assists last year.

On the defensive end, the Captains welcome back senior Caitlin Osbourne, who started 17 games last year, and Hanna Slough, who posted a .468 save percentage and a 10.85 goals-against-average. Additionally, the squad returns starters Mariah Ginebra, Sam Puglisi, and Kirsten Mendelsohn to help solidify the veteran core.

Christopher Newport will open the year on Saturday with a tough test against the 12th-ranked Washington & Lee Generals. Named the preseason favorites in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, the Generals return nine of their top 12 scorers from last season. Equally skilled on the defensive side of the ball, W&L is led by senior goalkeeper Cara Mulligan, who was a second-team All-Conference and All-State honoree last year.

Longtime rivals, the Captains and Generals have met eight times with Washington & Lee holding a 7-1 lead in the all-time series. W&L won last year's bout, 12-11, in overtime. CNU won the last meeting in Newport News with a 9-8 decision in 2013.

For those fans unable to make it to Saturday's action, live stats will be available at CNUsports.com

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