FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Coming off of a six-game homestand, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will hit the road on Wednesday when the Captains head up to Mary Washington for a Capital Athletic Conference showdown at the Battleground Turf Stadium beginning at 4 p.m.

Riding a six-game tear, the Captains enter the midweek match-up with a 7-2 record, including a 2-0 mark in league action. Mary Washington currently sits at 4-6 with a 1-2 ledger in the CAC.

For those fans unable to make it to the game, Mary Washington will provide live stats at UMWEagles.com. A direct link can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.

A LOOK AT THE CAPTAINS

Christopher Newport features a well-balanced team that ranks 11th in the NCAA in save percentage, 14th in scoring offense, and 21st in faceoff percentage. On the defensive side, Matt Hayden boasts a .628 save percentage and a 6.54 goals-against-average, which ranks 15th in the country. Helping out on the back end, Will Cogan has a team-high 19 caused turnovers, while Drew Cornell has 15. Both of those totals rank in the top-10 in the CAC.

On the other side, Tony Cruz has helped control possession and ranks 28th nationally with a .645 faceoff percentage. Making good use of Cruz's work, Will Geise is 10th in the NCAA with a 3.89 goals-per-game average, while Matthew Crist is 26th with 22 assists. As a team, the Captains are averaging 14.78 goals-per-game, which places them 14th nationally. Showing the success of the squad's well-balanced approach, Christopher Newport's average margin of victory this year (7.56 goals per game) is the 11th-highest mark in the country.

LAST TIME OUT

The Captains have been on a week-long break since upending Southern Virginia, 19-12, last Wednesday in Newport News. During that outing, Geise matched the single-game program record with nine points after registering six goals and three assists. Randy Foster also added seven points, including five goals, while Ryan Mills dished out four helpers. Hayden led the defense with six saves during 40 minutes of work before exiting with a comfortable lead.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

Mary Washington is coming off of a 13-7 setback against No. 6 York (Pa.) on Saturday. The Eagles faced just a three-goal deficit at halftime against the nationally-ranked Spartans, but YCP added three goals in the third quarter to pull away for the victory. During the battle, Mike Marson and Miles Davis both contributed four points for UMW, while Billy Senicola made 13 saves between the pipes.

Overall this season, Mary Washington has been one of the nation's top squads when it comes to securing ground balls. The Eagles are averaging 42.40 rollers per game, which places them eighth in the NCAA. Eli Ayer leads the team with 81 ground balls and has won 128 of his 234 faceoff attempts. Meanwhile, on the offensive side, Marson boasts a team-high 32 points, including 23 goals. Davis has been the top facilitator with 16 assists.

SERIES HISTORY

Mary Washington and CNU have met 12 times with the Eagles holding a 9-3 edge in the series. However, the Captains won last year's meeting, 16-6. During that contest, Crist led Christopher Newport with seven points, including four goals. Mills and Geise also contributed hat-tricks during the victory.

UP NEXT

Following Wednesday's bout, CNU will travel to Frostburg State for a 6 p.m. contest on April 1. 

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