Live Stats // Web Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After picking up a pair of victories to kick off the 2018 campaign, the 20th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will return to action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when CNU hosts Randolph-Macon in a non-conference tilt at Captains Turf Field.
The Captains enter the midweek match-up with a 2-0 record, while Randolph-Macon sits at 0-2. CNU is currently 1-0 at home this year, while the Yellow Jackets dropped their only road battle at Catholic last Saturday.
For those fans unable to make it to the contest, live stats will be available at CNUsports.com. Christopher Newport will also provide a broadcast of the action with Andy McGregor and Jake Myers on the call. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
After picking up victories over Washington & Lee and Berry last week, the Captains broke into the national rankings for just the second time in program history on Monday. The squad currently sits 20th in the USILA poll. The program was previously ranked in 2016 when Christopher Newport was slotted 20th in the poll released on April 4.
Through the first week of the season, freshman
Dylan Rice leads CNU with seven goals. He earned a spot on the USILA National Team of the Week for that performance, highlighted by his five-goal showcase against Washington & Lee last Wednesday. In addition to Rice, fellow first-year standout
Jackson Deal is tied for second on the team with six points and four goals, while
Max Wayne has a team-high five caused turnovers.
Among the veteran performers,
Tony Cruz and
Matthew Crist have gotten off to a strong start. Cruz has won 28 of his 44 faceoff attempts and currently ranks fourth among active players at all levels of the NCAA with 553 career faceoff victories. Meanwhile, Crist has a team-high four assists to go along with a pair of goals. His 71 career assists place him 18th among active players in the country.
On the other side of the field, Randolph-Macon has dropped its first two games of the year, including a 14-6 setback against CAC member Mary Washington. Senior Miles Muncie leads the Yellow Jackets with six goals this year, while Alex Camilliere has four strikes. Meanwhile, Joe Maranto has won 20 of his 42 faceoff attempts, and Chris Cerrina has compiled a .383 save percentage and 14.50 goals-against-average.
RMC is coming off of an 8-10 campaign in 2017. The squad was selected fifth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Preseason Poll and features a pair of returning All-League selections. Kyle Geblein secured second-team All-ODAC honors for his work on the defense last year, while Coleman Adams is a two-time All-Conference selection for his efforts on the midfield unit.
In 11 previous meetings between Christopher Newport and Randolph-Macon, the Yellow Jackets hold a 6-5 edge in the series. However, CNU won last year's battle in Ashland, 14-3. Cruz secured nine of his 13 faceoff attempts in that contest, and
Shane McKenna contributed five points, including a hat-trick.
Following Wednesday's contest, CNU will return to action on Saturday when the team hosts Hampden-Sydney at 6 p.m.
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