Live Stats // Webcast
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Riding a four-game winning streak, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will open up Capital Athletic Conference action on Saturday at 1 p.m. when CNU hosts Marymount at Captains Turf Field.
Entering the contest, Christopher Newport stands at 5-2 overall, including 4-0 at home. On the other side, Marymount is 1-5 overall and 1-1 on the road. The Saints also sit at 0-1 in the conference following a 16-14 setback against Southern Virginia last month.
For those fans unable to make it to the contest, 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
Will Geise has been on a tear lately while torching the program record books. The reigning CAC Offensive Player of the Week has scored six goals in each of his last two appearances. Those efforts are tied for the second-highest single-game outputs in program history. Guided by those performances, he broke the school's career goals record on Wednesday and now has 90 for his career. Ryan Merrell and John Thompson held the previous mark of 86.
With more history on the horizon, Geise is just two points shy of tying Thompson's career record of 144 points. He is also six assists away from matching Thompson's career record of 58.
Making history of their own,
Matthew Crist became the program's eighth player to record 100 career points after joining the club on Wednesday. He now sits fifth on the career charts with 106 points. Meanwhile,
Ryan Mills is just one point shy of joining the 100-point club as well, entering Saturday's action with 58 career goals and 41 assists.
Overall this season, the Captains have featured outstanding ball movement and rank seventh in the nation with 57 assists. Crist leads the team and ranks second in the CAC with 16 helpers, while Geise has nine. Helping control possession while keeping the ball on the offensive side,
Tony Cruz has won 65 percent of his faceoffs, and
Nick Kirschke has captured 48 of his 78 attempts. The senior also ranks seventh in the league with 31 ground balls.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Marymount, picked eighth in the CAC Preseason Poll, has dropped its last two games, including a 10-7 setback against Shenandoah on Thursday. The Saints feature a solid man-up attack, which ranks second in the CAC with 13 extra-man goals. Leading the way, Sean Friedman has five man-up tallies, which places him fifth in the NCAA this year. Overall, he boats a team-high 14 goals, while Nathan Beard leads the way with 21 points.
The Saints have an accurate offensive attack as the squad leads the CAC with a .323 shooting percentage and puts 64 percent of its attempts on-goal. Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Marymount ranks 18th in the NCAA with 247 ground balls this year. Hunter McGeeney has picked up 10 and leads the squad with 13 caused turnovers, which also ties him for the third-most in the league this year. Additionally, Christian Lutz has won 64 of his 107 faceoffs, and Grey Clarkson has a .477 save percentage to go along with a 10.62 goals-against-average.
SERIES HISTORY
Marymount and Christopher Newport have met seven times with CNU holding a 5-2 edge in the series. Last year, the Captains notched a 14-8 victory in Arlington. Crist led the way with six points, including a pair of man-up strikes.
UP NEXT
Following Saturday's bout, Christopher Newport will wrap up its six-game homestand on Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Southern Virginia.
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