Live Stats // Video Stream

SALEM, Va. -- The 16th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will kick off the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday at 4 p.m. when the Captains square off with No. 17 Roanoke at Kerr Stadium in Salem.
 
Entering the postseason, the Captains currently boast a 14-4 record, while Roanoke sits at 14-5. Both squads earned at-large bids to the NCAA playoffs after CNU reached the semifinals of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament and the Maroons finished second in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
 
This marks CNU's second trip to the NCAA Tournament after qualifying in 2013 as well. Meanwhile, Roanoke will be making its 20th appearance in the national playoffs.
 
For those fans planning to attend the game, tickets will be $5. For those unable to make the trip, Roanoke will provide live stats and a video stream of the action at RoanokeMaroons.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
 
Coming into the Tournament, Christopher Newport has the fourth-best man-up attack in the country, converting 48 percent of its extra-man opportunities. On an individual level, Dylan Rice has established a new freshman record with seven man-up goals this year, while Matthew Crist and Will Stockhausen have six apiece.
 
Along with its man-up unit, CNU also ranks 18th in the nation with a .640 faceoff percentage and 644 ground balls. The squad's 146 assists are also the 20th-most in the NCAA.
 
Several Captains are on the cusp of history entering Wednesday's game. Crist is one goal away from the 122nd of his career, which would establish a new program record. He is also one assist shy of his 100th career helper, which would make him the program's first ever member of the 100-100 club. Meanwhile, Rice is one goal away from 50 for the season, and Tony Cruz is one ground ball shy of 100 for the year. That would equal the single-season program record established by Brandon Moloney in 2016.
 
On the other side of the field, Roanoke features a well-balanced team. The Maroons rank 15th in the country with 222 saves and 13th with 161 assists. The squad is also 20th in the NCAA in ground balls (641), 24th in caused turnovers per game (11.00), and 26th in scoring offense (14.11).
 
On an individual level, Jason Sarro leads RC with 81 points and 41 assists. Meanwhile, Garritt Schwarz has 41 goals, and IV Stucker has 32. Leading the way at the 'X,' Patrick Cline has won 89 of his 212 faceoff attempts, while Griffin Weber has gone 62-for-134. Between the pipes, Ian Davies has a .587 save percentage and an 8.76 goals-against-average.
 
Wednesday's meeting will mark the second match-up of the season between the Captains and Maroons. Roanoke won the previous bout, 9-8, in Salem. During that contest, CNU held a two-goal lead with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, but RC fought back to secure the victory. Crist led Christopher Newport with six points, including four goals, while Sarro had five points for Roanoke.
 
Overall, RC leads the all-time series, 2-1.
 
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