CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After opening the season with a victory over No. 20 Washington & Lee on Wednesday, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will return to action on Friday at 5 p.m. when the Captains battle Berry in a neutral-site tilt at Charlotte Christian High School.
CNU enters the battle at 1-0 following the squad's 12-7 win over the nationally-ranked Generals. Berry also sits at 1-0 after topping Southwestern, 15-4, on Saturday.
In the opener against W&L, freshman
Dylan Rice became the first player in program history to record five goals in his collegiate debut. He also became just the second Captain to strike five times against a nationally-ranked opponent, joining former standout John Thompson who pumped five goals against No. 15 Washington & Lee on February 13, 2015.
Along with Rice,
Jackson Deal and
Drew Magnusson also contributed three points apiece, while
Tony Cruz won 17 of his 22 faceoffs. With that performance, the senior star moved past Ari Elgort for the all-time program lead with 542 faceoff victories.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Captains blanked Washington & Lee in the first half while starring throughout the 60-minute slug-fest.
Max Wayne forced three turnovers in his first collegiate action, while Deal grabbed five ground balls. Between the pipes,
Scott McAneney made nine saves to register his first victory.
Equally impressive in its opener, Berry grabbed a fast six-goal lead in the first quarter against Southwestern and never looked back. Chris Berchock scored four times for the Vikings, while Justin Westbrook added a hat-trick of his own. Meanwhile, Kevin Murphy picked up the victory after making 10 saves in 45 minutes of action, and Josh Baker won eight of his 15 faceoff attempts.
Berry is coming off one of the finest years in program history after the Vikings compiled an 11-5 record during the 2017 campaign. The squad established a single-season program record with 230 goals last season while placing nine players on the All-Conference team. Eight of their decorated performers are back in 2018, including first-team All-SAA selection Matt Dominguez.
Friday's contest will mark the first-ever meeting between Christopher Newport and Berry.
Following Friday's game, CNU will return to action on February 21 for a 7 p.m. tilt with Randolph-Macon at Captains Turf Field.
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