NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- As the Christopher Newport men's soccer team begins defense of it's conference championship crown, the Captains will host fifth-seeded Salisbury University at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, November 1 in the Capital Athletic Conference Semifinals. 

The top-seeded Captains (13-2-1) will face off against the Sea Gulls (8-8-3), who is the only team in the conference CNU did not beat this season. In the regular season, the teams battled to a 1-1 draw in Newport News on October 18. 

Tickets for the postseason matchup are $5 for adults and $3 for students/children, cash only. CNU students will be admitted free of charge with a valid ID. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com/live for fans who can not be in attendance. 

In the regular season, Christopher Newport was held to one goal only three times during the year with one coming against the Sea Gulls. The nation's leading offense is averaging 3.88 goals per game, led by Jimmy Grace and Stephen Durbin. Grace is leading the league with 30 points on 13 goals and four assists, while Durbin ranks third with 27 points on 12 goals and three assists. 

The CAC semifinal matchup will pit two of the top three defenses in the league against eachother as Salisbury enters the contest with a league-leading 0.89 GAA and CNU ranks third with a 0.98 mark. Junior goalkeeper Zach Pedini has done the lion's share of the work in goal, while his starting back line of senior Zach Douglass, junior Bobby Seifert, sophomore Derek Cook, and rookie Davis Pillow leads the way on defense. 

Salisbury is unbeaten in six straight games and earned a trip to the CAC semis with a 1-1 draw at #4-seed York (Pa.). They advanced, 8-7, in penalty kicks as junior goalkeeper Trevor Brookhart secured the go-ahead PK and made the match-winning save in the shootout. 

The winning team will advance to the CAC Championship to take on the winner of the other semifinal matchup between #2 St. Mary's (Md.) and #3 Mary Washington.