Live Stats // Video Stream
ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Entering the final week of the regular season, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team will head north for a Capital Athletic Conference battle with St. Mary's (Md.) at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Seahawk Stadium.
Entering the midweek match-up, CNU sits at 10-5 overall and 4-2 in league action. St. Mary's (Md.) is 7-8 with a 3-3 mark in CAC play.
For those fans unable to make it to the game, St. Mary's (Md.) will provide live stats and a video stream of the action at SMCMAthletics.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 has already punched its ticket to the upcoming CAC playoffs. The squad currently sits in a tie for third in the league standings and could climb as high as No. 2 by the end of the week. With a win on Wednesday, coupled with a Frostburg State loss, the Captains would clinch a home game in the playoffs. Two more wins, and a loss by York (Pa.) against Salisbury, would force a tie for the No. 2 spot. Mary Washington could make it a three-way tie if the Eagles win out as well.
With a cloudy playoff picture, the Captains are focused on putting a solid punctuation mark on the end of their regular season. The team has been solid on the road all year long and currently boasts a five-game winning streak away from Newport News. Led by their top road warrior, the Captains have gotten 26 goals from
Sarah Culver in contests played away from CNU.
Meaghan Galvin has also added 17 strikes and 16 assists in road tilts.
Overall this season, the Captains find themselves among the national leaders in free-position percentage once again. CNU is 18th nationally - and first in the CAC - with a .519 mark from the eight-meter arc. Galvin and
Catie Chess have been the most lethal scorers with both standouts converting 10 of their 16 attempts. Culver also has a team-high 11 free-position goals this year, which ties her for fifth on the program's all-time single-season list.
Defensively, Chess also boasts a team-high 14 caused turnovers, while
Mariah Ginebra and
Mackenzie Regen have forced 13 apiece. Between the pipes,
Kaitlyn Ready has a .429 save percentage and a 9.05 goals-against-average to go along with an 8-3 record.
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
St. Mary's (Md.) is also in the CAC playoff picture, sitting in a tie for fifth in the league standings with a 3-3 record. Facing a grueling schedule this year, six of the squad's eight setbacks have come against nationally-ranked opponents, including four programs in the top-10.
Despite the challenging slate, Erika Kopf has pieced together a solid senior campaign, slinging 23 goals to go along with a team-high 15 assists. Fellow fourth-year star Meg Gesner has also contributed a team-high 25 goals, while Lacey Brown has 24. Meanwhile, on the defensive side, the Seahawks rank second in the conference with an average of 18.73 ground balls per game, including a team-high 36 by Mackenzie Rayburn. She has also forced 18 turnovers, which is tied for the fourth-most in the CAC.
On the back end, Emma Brown has started all 15 games in the crease. During her time on the field, the sophomore has compiled a .416 save percentage and a 10.76 goals-against-average. Her 107 saves also place her fourth in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
St. Mary's (Md.) and Christopher Newport have met 11 times with the Seahawks holding a 6-5 edge.
Lisa Valentine has picked up four of the wins in the series, capturing three victories as the head coach at SMC before winning last year's match-up after taking the reins at CNU. During the 2016 battle, Galvin and Culver both registered hat-tricks on the way to the 11-5 win. Former Seahawk Tori Poffenberger scored all five goals for St. Mary's (Md.).
UP NEXT
Following Wednesday's action, CNU will cap off the regular season on Saturday with a home game against No. 7 York (Pa.) beginning at 2 p.m.
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