Live Stats // Video Stream
YORK, Pa. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will look to continue its postseason run on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. when the Captains take on No. 5 York (Pa.) in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals at Kinsley Field.
Entering the weekend, CNU sits at 11-5 overall and advanced to the semifinals with a 14-8 victory over Southern Virginia on Wednesday. York (Pa.) comes into the contest at 15-2 this season and earned a bye to the semifinals after securing the No. 2 seed in the postseason.
For those fans unable to make it to the contest, York will provide live stats and a video stream of the action at YCPSpartans.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
Record-setting senior
Will Geise enters the weekend ranked first in the conference with 54 goals and second in the nation with 11 man-up strikes. Both of those totals are also single-season program records. During the year, he also established a new single-season mark for points (75) while setting standards for career goals (119), points (183), and games played (66).
Along with Geise,
Matthew Crist is second in the conference with 39 assists and fifth with 64 points. Featuring a well-balanced attack,
Ryan Mills also stands seventh in the conference with 39 goals, while
Randy Foster is 10th with 33. Christopher Newport and Salisbury are the only teams with three players ranked in the top-10 in goals.
On the other side,
Matt Hayden boasts a league-best .587 save percentage, which also stands as the highest single-season effort in program history. He also ranks third in the league with 166 total saves, including 10 double-digit efforts. The senior has registered at least 10 stops in his last three appearances, including 11 in the victory over SVU on Wednesday.
Among other league leaders,
Tony Cruz is second in the league with a .630 faceoff percentage, while
Drew Cornell is fourth with 26 caused turnovers.
Will Cogan has also caused 24 miscues on the defensive end, marking the fifth-highest total in the conference.
LAST TIME OUT
On Wednesday, Christopher Newport survived a wild first-round bout against Southern Virginia and eventually posted a 14-8 victory at Captains Turf Field. In a game that featured 14 penalties, the Captains came out on top after Mills and Geise erupted for six points apiece. Crist also added four points, and Cruz won 16 of his 23 faceoffs while contributing his first collegiate goal.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
York (Pa.) has been ranked among the top-five in the nation throughout the year and boasts one of the most well-balanced teams in the country. The Spartans lead the NCAA with a .906 clearing percentage, rank 16th in scoring defense (7.18 goals per game), and stand 17th in faceoff percentage (.631). Offensively, the squad has also converted 48 percent of its man-up opportunities, which ranks as the seventh-highest rate in the country.
On an individual level, Billy Sasso is first in the conference with a .633 faceoff percentage, while Landry Marshall is second with a .572 save percentage and 6.74 goals-against-average. On the offensive side, Brendan McGrath has a team-high 67 points, including 47 goals, while Hunter Davis sits second in the league with 10 man-up goals. Cameron Leech also ranks third in the conference with 35 assists.
LAST MEETING
York and CNU last met on April 15 when the Spartans won the regular season finale, 12-7, in Pennsylvania. During that contest, YCP slipped out to a fast 5-0 lead in the first quarter and never lost the lead after that. Mills and Geise both contributed hat-tricks for the Captains, while McGrath and Dillon Hannah had three points apiece for York. Defensively, Hayden made 17 saves for Christopher Newport, while Marshall chipped in with eight on the other side.
UP NEXT
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the CAC championship game next weekend to face the survivor of the Salisbury - Mary Washington bout.
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