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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will open up the Capital Athletic Conference playoffs on Wednesday at 4 p.m. when CNU hosts Southern Virginia in a first-round bout at Captains Turf Field.
 
Entering the postseason as the league's No. 3 seed, Christopher Newport stands at 10-5 overall, including 5-3 in conference action. Meanwhile, Southern Virginia comes into the contest with a 6-8 mark and a 3-5 ledger in CAC play. The Knights are the No. 6 seed.
 
For those fans attending Wednesday's game, tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and children. CNU students will be admitted free with their CNU ID.

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
 
Coming into the playoffs, Christopher Newport is riding a nine-game winning streak at home dating back to last season. That run is currently tied for the ninth-longest streak in the NCAA.

Dominant both at home and on the road, CNU has already shattered several single-season program records this year. Will Geise has established new standards with 69 points and 50 goals, while Matthew Crist's 37 assists are also a program-best. Crist's 60 points also place him second on the school's single-season charts, slotting in just behind Geise.
 
Defensively, Matt Hayden has been tremendous during his final year in Newport News. The senior broke the program's career saves record over the weekend and now has 611 stops, which places him eighth among active goalies at any level of the NCAA. Meanwhile, his .587 save percentage and 8.13 goals-against-average also stand as the finest single-season marks in CNU history.
 
Along with the record-setters, Tony Cruz ranks second in the conference with a .625 faceoff percentage, while Ryan Mills and Randy Foster are in the league's top-10 in goals. Mills is tied for eighth with 34, while Foster is 10th with 33. Additionally, Will Cogan is sixth in the CAC with 23 caused turnovers, and Drew Cornell is seventh with 22.
 
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
 
Southern Virginia punched its ticket to the postseason for the second straight year after winning the final two games of the regular season. Needing a win over Wesley in the finale to extend their season, the Knights erupted for six goals in the second quarter to snatch a huge halftime lead on the way to the 14-9 victory. Casey Rich led SVU with six points, including four goals, while Shawn Lamb contributed a hat-trick as well.
 
Overall this season, Lamb ranks second in the conference with 74 points, and Rich is seventh with 59. Both standouts also sit in the top-five in goals. As a team, the Knights rank second in the CAC with a .334 shooting percentage and third with a .472 man-up mark.
 
On the defensive end, SVU has started three different goalkeepers, including freshman Carson Franklin, who leads the squad with 84 saves and a .406 save percentage. Meanwhile, Ian Arave has appeared in eight contests with four starts, including the nod in the regular season finale in which he posted 15 saves to earn the victory over Wesley.
 
LAST MEETING
 
Christopher Newport and Southern Virginia last met on March 22 when CNU registered a 19-12 victory at Captains Turf Field. During that contest, Geise tied the single-game school record with nine points, including six goals. Foster also contributed seven points and five goals, while Mills dished out four assists. On the other side, SVU picked up four goals from Lamb and four points from both Brady Cook and Spencer Tunick. At the "X," Cruz won 14 of his 24 faceoff attempts, while Logan Lund went 14-for-33 for the Knights.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
Southern Virginia and CNU have met five times with the Captains holding a pristine 5-0 record in the series. The programs also met twice in 2016, including a first-round bout in the CAC Tournament. During the playoffs, Geise led the Captains with five goals, while Crist added four. Tunick came through with two goals during the playoffs for SVU.
 
UP NEXT
 
The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to the CAC semifinals for a date at No. 5 York (Pa.) on Saturday.
 
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