LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The 8th-ranked Christopher Newport men's soccer team will open its 2015 schedule on Tuesday, traveling to Randolph College (0-0) for a 7:00 pm kickoff against the WildCats. Steve Shaw will stalk the sideline for the start of his 20th season as head coach for the Captains, joining a select group of just four coaches in CNU Athletics history to reach the two-decade milestone.

Shaw joins Dan Winters, long-time sailing coach, and a pair of Hall of Fame basketball coaches, Bev Vaughan and C.J. Woollum, as the only coaches in the near 50-year history of the program to coach at CNU for 20 years or more. His illustrious career ranks him among the top 15 nationally in winning percentage among active coaches, as he has piled up 269 wins in 19 seasons. 

The Captains are coming off one of the most memorable seasons for Shaw last year, picking up 19 wins and reaching the NCAA Elite Eight for the fourth time in program history. The deep run through the postseason included an impressive three-game win streak in the CAC Tournament that saw the Captains become the lowest seed in league history to capture a conference championship, CNU's first since joining the Capital Athletic Conference. 

Heading into 2015, CNU is ranked 8th in the NSCAA Preseason Coaches Poll, garnering the highest preseason ranking since 2010. The Captains were also picked to win the CAC in the league's preseason coaches poll. The team endures the loss of two All-Region players in Jalon Brown and Alec Faulkner, but retain the services of nine of the top 11 scorers from last season. Leading the way is first team All-Conference forward Patrick Burns, who returns after a breakout sophomore season that saw him score 36 points on 12 goals and 12 assists. Junior midfielder Harry Nodwell, an NSCAA All-Region selection last year, will also return to help solidify the center of the pitch. 

Defensively, the  back line will have a new look as Faulkner graduated alongside outside backs Tommy O'Neal and Stephen Landry, but senior Sean Christein returns to help anchor the back. Along with the center back, two veteran goalkeepers are back in 2015 as seniors Nolan Mann and Sam Lesko are back between the pipes this season. 

Randolph was picked to finish fifth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, as the WildCats finished out 2014 with a .500 record at 7-7-4. Featuring a strong defense, the 2014 version of the Randolph men's soccer team allowed more than one goal just five times, including in a 2-1 setback to the Captains in Newport News. Patrick Burns had a goal and an assist in that victory, while senior Mark Brewington netted the gamewinner for CNU in the 67th minute of play. 

A pair of juniors will lead the Randolph attack, as Blake Heatherly and Troy Jurney return to the pitch in 2015 after finishing 1-2 in points last season for the WildCats. Travis Brown, the team's leader in goals scored, is also back for his second year. 

The game will be played at WildCat Stadium in Lynchburg, with live video and live stats available. Links can be found at cnusports.com or via the Randolph athletics website.