NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport men's soccer team will look to add to it's 10-game winning streak on Wednesday night, as they host the final home regular season game of the season at Captains Field. Senior Night for the Captains will pit CNU against Salisbury University at 7:00 pm in Capital Athletic Conference action.
Prior to the contest, seven CNU seniors will be honored as they play in their final home regular season game. The group includes three of the Captains' four leading scorers and starting center back
Zach Douglass.
With just three games left on the schedule, the game figures to have playoff implications for both sides. The Captains (11-2-0, 6-0-0), having already clinched a tournament spot, are battling for the top two seeds and a first-round bye. Salisbury (6-8-1, 2-3-1) is currently just one point ahead of Frostburg State for the final playoff spot with Southern Virginia and Marymount close behind as well.
Earlier this week, the Captains moved into the D3soccer.com Top 25, checking in at No. 24 nationally after their 10-game roll. CNU has run off ten straight victories behind one of the most electric offensive units in the nation. The Captains lead the country in scoring average, with 4.31 goals per game, led by junior
Stephen Durbin with 27 points this season. Durbin ranks third nationally in game-winning goals, with six, and leads the league in scoring with 12 goals and three assists this season.
The three aforementioned seniors atop the scoring column for CNU are
Jimmy Grace (24 pts),
Andrew Gogolin (15 pts), and
James Lee (13 pts). Douglass has started 12 games this season in the back and the rest of the senior class includes vital roleplayers
Hunter Johnson,
Hunter Simons, and
Cameron Vaughn.
Salisbury comes into the contest powered by a stingy defense that has allowed just one goal per game this season. The offense has been led by junior Nick Njuki, with eight points on three goals and two assists. A pair of sophomores have added three goals and one assist, as Dolph Hegewisch and Ryan Spadin each have seven points. In goal, junior Trevor Brookhart has started all 15 games and has played all but 24 minutes this season. Brookhart has a 0.90 goals-against average with 46 saves this year.
For fans unable to attend Captains Field on Wednesday night, a live video webcast and live stats will be available at CNUsports.com/live.
Following the final home game, CNU will close out the regular season with road trips to Mary Washington and Marymount on October 21 and 25, respectively.
