NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Having already clinched the top seed in next week's Capital Athletic Conference Tournament, the Christopher Newport men's soccer team will close the regular season on Wednesday night at 5:00 p.m. against Salisbury University (9-7-1, 4-5-0). The game still has plenty of meaning as the Sea Gulls vie for improved tournament seeding and the Captains (11-2-3, 8-1-0) look to carry momentum into the postseason by remaining unbeaten at home this season. 

Led by a stingy defense that continues to get better as the season goes on, Christopher Newport has gone 6-0-2 at Captains Field this season. In home games, the Captains are outscoring opponents 20-3 on the season including a 12-1 advantage in conference games. 

Senior goalkeeper Justin Piercy was named the CAC Defensive Player of the Week after a pair of shutout victories in conference play last week. The Captains are coming off a 4-0 win against Southern Virginia a week ago and a 1-0 road victory at York (Pa.) on Saturday. With a 2-1 win against the Sea Gulls on the road earlier this season, the Captains improved to 14-19-5 all time against the rivals from the Eastern Shore. 

Playing in front of Piercy has been senior Derek Cook boasting one of the most standout defensive seasons in program history. Leading the team in scoring with 17 points, Cook has also helped the Captains register the 18th-ranked defense according to team goals against average (0.650). As a unit, the Christopher Newport back line has allowed more than one goal in a game only once this season and has finished out seven shutouts. Daniel Hulett, Davis Pillow, and Khari Jones have helped anchor the defense that is allowing just 8.2 shots per game. 

Set to appear in the CAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed, the Captains earned a first-round bye and will not play again until next Wednesday, November 6 when they host the winner of the #4/5 seed matchup. That game will be played at 7:30 pm. 

Salisbury enters Wednesday night's matchup winners in three of the last four games as they have played themselves into potential first-round hosting duties in the conference tournament. The Sea Gulls are coming off a 2-0 win against Southern Virginia on Saturday. Dolph Hegewisch and Cullen Myers leads the offense with 13 and 12 points, respectively, as each player has logged four goals. Junior Josh Woozley has also added four goals and ranks third with nine points this year. 

For fans who cannot make it out to Captains Field, live stats and a live video webcast will be available at CNUsports.com. 

Also released on Tuesday, the Christopher Newport men's soccer team moved up one slot in the United Soccer Coaches Division III National Rankings, listed at No. 22. The D3soccer.com media poll has pegged the Captains at No. 13 nationally.