Live Stats // Video Stream

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team will kick off postseason play on Saturday at 5 p.m. when CNU hosts St. Mary's (Md.) in the first round of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament at Captains Turf Field.

Entering the postseason, Christopher Newport has a 9-8 record, including a 5-3 mark in conference action. The Captains earned the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. On the other side, St. Mary's (Md.) is the fifth seed after compiling an 8-9 ledger with a 4-4 mark against league foes.

For those fans planning to attend the game, tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids/students. CNU students are free of charge. For those fans unable to attend, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available on CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.

Christopher Newport enters the playoffs on a two-game roll, including an 18-4 victory over Wesley in the regular season finale on Saturday. The squad has been especially strong at home in recent weeks, ripping off five straight wins at Captains Turf Field dating back to March 28. That streak includes a 14-13 triumph over St. Mary's (Md.) on March 31.

During their regular season showdown, the Captains received a last-second goal from Sarah Culver to register the win over the Seahawks. Overall, Culver finished that game with five goals, while Carly Wilson contributed seven points, including five assists. On the other side, Caitlin Katchmar posted five points for St. Mary's (Md.), while Emma Brown made 16 saves between the pipes.

Overall this year, Culver leads the CAC with 58 goals, and Wilson boasts a league-high 39 assists. Culver also ranks third with 64 total points and 15 free-position strikes. On the defensive side, Kaitlyn Ready is the reigning CAC Defensive Player of the Week and boasts a conference-best 198 saves. Meanwhile, Tess D'Arcy and Julia Golden are tied for 10th in the league with 18 caused turnovers.

St. Mary's (Md.) comes into the playoffs after suffering a 20-8 setback against No. 3 Salisbury on Wednesday. Gabby Beese led the Seahawks with four points, including three assists, against the nationally-ranked Sea Gulls. Katchmar and Lacey Brown also contributed two goals apiece.

Overall this season, Ali Collie ranks seventh in the conference with 39 goals, while Beese is fourth with 28 assists. Emma Brown has also been strong in the crease, collecting 164 saves. That places her third in the league.

In 14 previous meetings between the two programs, both St. Mary's (Md.) and CNU have seven wins. The squads also met in the first round of last year's CAC Tournament with Christopher Newport notching an 8-7 win in Maryland.

The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the CAC semifinals for a showdown at top-seeded Salisbury on Wednesday.

---CNU---