ASHLAND, Va. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will travel to Randolph-Macon on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Yellow Jackets at Day Field.
Entering the midweek battle, the Captains currently stand at 0-1 following a season-opening setback against No. 20 Washington & Lee. Meanwhile, Randolph-Macon sits at 1-1 after falling to Mary Washington, 13-12, in the opener before bouncing back against Catholic, 9-8, on Saturday.
For those fans unable to make it to the games, Randolph-Macon will provide live stats and a video stream of the action at RMCAthletics.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS
Christopher Newport kicked off the 2017 season last Wednesday with a 14-6 setback at No. 20 Washington & Lee. The Generals, who moved up to 15th in the latest USILA rankings, closed the game strong, including a five-goal third quarter. Despite the late stumble, the Captains received solid offensive contributions from their returning standouts.
Matthew Crist, who set a new single-season program record with 58 points last year, had a goal and two assists, while
Will Geise struck twice.
On the defensive end,
Matt Hayden came through with 11 saves and two ground balls.
Conor James also made a smooth transition to the college game as the freshman collected a team-high five ground balls to go along with two caused turnovers.
Randy Foster also forced a pair of miscues, while
Nick Kirschke won eight of his 14 faceoff attempts.
Tony Cruz went 5-for-8 at the "X" as well.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
Randolph-Macon was picked sixth in the ODAC Preseason Poll after registering a 4-13 mark last year. So far this season, the Yellow Jackets have been led by senior Sam Mayer, who has five goals and five assists. Miles Muncie also has seven points, including six goals, while Kyle Keepers has scored four times. Overall, seven different players have already scored this year for the Yellow Jackets.
On the other side, senior Brian Davies has been a staple between the pipes, playing every minute of the first two games while notching a .500 save percentage and a 10.51 goals-against-average. Meanwhile, Kyle Geblein has forced four turnovers and grabbed nine ground balls, while freshman Joe Maranto has won 14 of his 39 faceoff attempts.
SERIES HISTORY
CNU and Randolph-Macon have met 10 times with the Yellow Jackets holding a 6-4 edge in the all-time series. The Captains have won the last four meetings, including a 10-5 triumph in 2016. During last year's battle, Mills scored three goals for CNU, while Geise added a pair. On the other side, Muncie had three points, including two strikes, for Macon.
UP NEXT
Following Wednesday's contest, Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the team caps off its three-game road swing at Hampden-Sydney. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.
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