Live Stats // Video Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Continuing its six-game homestand, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will welcome Messiah to town for a non-conference battle at Captains Turf Field on Saturday at 1 p.m.
CNU enters the weekend with a 3-2 record, including a perfect 2-0 mark at home. Meanwhile, Messiah sits at 2-2 overall with a 1-1 record away from home.
For those fans unable to make it to the game, live stats will be available at CNUsports.com. The Captains will also provide a broadcast of the action with Andy McGregor and Jake Myers on the call. 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 is coming off of a pair of lopsided victories during its first two home bouts of the season after upending Virginia Wesleyan, 20-3, and Guilford, 15-2. Those performances marked only the second time in program history that the Captains have won back-to-back games by double digits. The five goals allowed during that run also equal the fewest surrendered by CNU during a two-game stretch in team history.
Showing off their depth, the Captains saw 14 different players score at least one goal during their recent two-game roll.
Randy Foster,
Will Geise, and
Ryan Mills all struck five times during that stretch, while
Lucas Barry,
Matthew Crist,
Shane McKenna, and
Clay Miller also scored in both contests. Meanwhile, on the defensive side,
Matt Hayden was honored as the CAC Defensive Player of the Week after posting 16 saves while allowing just two goals during his 87 minutes of work last week.
Overall this season, Hayden ranks first in the Capital Athletic Conference and 24th in the nation with a .622 save percentage. Last week, he also joined current broadcaster and former standout Andy McGregor as the only players in program history to record 500 career saves. Hayden now has 507 for his career, while McGregor owns the record with 596. Hayden's 507 saves also place him 10th among active goalies at all levels of the NCAA and sixth at the Division III level.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Similar to the Captains, Messiah has been hot lately, winning its last two games in convincing fashion. The squad took down Adrian, 20-6, on March 1 before beating Goucher, 12-6, on Wednesday. Overall, the team has been paced by Matthew Franken, who leads the team with 13 points, including seven goals in his last two outings. Blake Knobloch has also scored five times in his previous two appearances and ranks second on the squad with eight total goals.
On the defensive side, Sam Stengel has started all four games in goal and sports a .567 save percentage and an 8.00 goals-against-average. Lorenzo DiPasquale has also forced eight turnovers and grabbed 12 ground balls. Messiah also features a strong man-down unit, which has allowed just two goals while facing 15 extra-man opportunities this year. The team's 87 percent success rate ranks 28th in the country.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's meeting will mark the first battle between Messiah and CNU. However, the programs do have a connection as current Christopher Newport assistant coach
Jacob Ashton worked on Messiah's staff during the 2015 campaign. Assisting with the defense and faceoff unit, he helped the Falcons post a 12-5 record while advancing to the Commonwealth Championship game.
UP NEXT
Following Saturday's action, Christopher Newport will remain at home for a Wednesday bout against Wheaton (Mass.) at 4 p.m.
---CNU---
