YORK, Pa. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will continue its postseason run on Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Captains battle 10th-ranked York (Pa.) in the semifinals of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament at Kinsley Field.
Advancing to the semifinals for the first time in program history, CNU comes into the game with a 13-4 record, including a pristine 7-0 mark on the road. Meanwhile, York (Pa.) sits at 14-3 overall with a 7-1 record in home tilts.
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the CAC Championship for a showdown with the survivor of the Salisbury - Frostburg State semifinal matchup. The title bout is slated for April 30.
A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS
Christopher Newport is one of only eight teams in the country that is undefeated on the road this season. In fact, the Captains' seven road victories are tied for the most in the nation. In games played away from Newport News, the squad is averaging 16 goals-per-game while limiting the opposition to fewer than nine per contest.
Overall this season,
Brandon Moloney leads the nation in caused turnovers with 51. His 96 ground balls also rank first in the CAC among non-faceoff specialists.
Michael Mabry has also forced 30 turnovers this year, while
Harrison Drier and
Thomas Courtney have at least 15 apiece. Meanwhile, on the back end,
Matt Hayden sports a .543 save percentage and a 9.12 goals-against-average.
Offensively, the Captains have been led by
Matthew Crist and
Will Geise, who both have 54 points. That equals the all-time single-season program record. Crist is also tied for the all-time mark with 37 goals this season, while
Randy Foster has 36. Along with the leading scorers,
Ryan Mills,
Dave Magdeburger, and
Joey Rolando all have at least 40 points apiece as well.
LAST TIME OUT
On Tuesday, Christopher Newport upended Southern Virginia, 19-5, in the first round of the CAC Tournament. Moloney led the Captains with eight caused turnovers, which established a new single-game program record. Mabry also forced six miscues for CNU, while
Trevor Royce scooped up five ground balls.
On the offensive end, Crist posted eight points, while Geise notched five goals. Overall, 13 different players recorded at least one point with 10 finding the back of the cage. Magdeburger and
Drew Magnusson contributed four points apiece as well.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
York (Pa.) features a solid defensive unit which leads the CAC in save percentage (.562) and ranks second in goals-against-average (6.82). The Spartans also lead the league with an .887 clear percentage, including a .901 mark against conferences foes this season.
On an individual level, Caleb Abney ranks second in the conference with a .585 save percentage while also sporting a 6.43 goals-against-average. Joey Fiorino and Josh Kluver are also tied for eighth in the league with 27 caused turnovers. Offensively, Andrew Gamble has a team-high 47 points and 30 goals, while Cameron Leech has 18 assists.
SERIES HISTORY
CNU and York (Pa.) have met six times with the Spartans holding a 5-1 edge in the all-time series. The two programs last met on Saturday when YCP posted an 11-6 victory at Captains Turf Field. Christopher Newport held a 5-4 lead at halftime before the Spartans stormed back in the second half. Foster led CNU with three goals, while Dillon Hannah had five for York.
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