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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team climbed to 14th in the latest USILA National Coaches Poll ahead of a pair of midweek match-ups as CNU welcomes Virginia Wesleyan to town on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before hosting No. 12 Stevens in a nationally-ranked showdown on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Captains Field.
Riding a three-game winning streak, the Captains moved up a spot in the latest rankings after securing 134 points in the poll. Salisbury continues to hold down the top-spot in the rankings after earning 18 first-place votes, while fellow CAC rival York (Pa.) sits sixth overall.
CNU has already faced off against five teams listed in the latest national poll. The squad's only two setbacks this year came against No. 8 Ursinus and No. 16 Washington & Lee, while the Captains upended Colorado College, Roanoke, and Elizabethtown. All three of those squads are receiving votes.
Entering the week, Christopher Newport sits at 6-2 on the season, including 3-0 at home. Meanwhile, Virginia Wesleyan and Stevens both have matching 5-2 records.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats will be available for both contests. The Captains will also provide a live stream of the action. Andy McGregor and Will Geise will call Tuesday's tilt before Geise and Randy Foster team up on Thursday's broadcast. Direct links can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
The Captains are coming off of a 14-6 triumph over Catholic in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. During that game,
Dylan Rice registered seven points, including the 100th of his career. Reaching that milestone in only his 28th career game, he became the fastest Captain to eclipse the mark, besting former teammates Matt Crist, who accomplished it in 35 contests.
Rice, who has registered hat-tricks in five consecutive games, also boasts at least one goal in 16 straight contests dating back to last season. That run is one shy of matching the program record, which was established by Will Geise from February 15 through April 22, 2017.
Along with Rice,
Will Stockhausen,
Brady Altobello, and
Lucas Barry all have at least one point in every game this season. Meanwhile, on the defensive side,
Max Wayne leads the CAC with 29 caused turnovers, while
Phoenix Hines and
Drew Cornell sit second and fourth, respectively. As a team, the Captains are averaging 18.5 caused turnovers per contest. That rate stands as the top mark in the NCAA.
On the other side of the field, Virginia Wesleyan is coming off of a 27-13 setback against Roanoke on Sunday. That snapped a two-game roll for the Marlins. VWU boasts a lethal man-up attack, which has converted 61.5 percent of its extra-man opportunities this season. That ranks third in the country. Nathan Sheirburn is tied for 14th in the NCAA with five man-up goals, while Brady Morrison has four.
Overall this season, Greg Gaetano has a team-high 27 points, including 12 assists. Sheirburn leads the squad with 19 goals and has won 86 of his 140 faceoff attempts. Between the pipes, Kyle Leeming has a .558 save percentage and a 13.13 goals-against-average. He has made at least 10 stops in six of his seven appearances, including 23 saves in a win over Susquehanna on March 13.
On Thursday, Stevens marches into town on a two-game roll, including an 18-9 win over Haverford on Saturday. The Ducks provide a unique match-up for the ball-hawking CNU defense as Stevens rarely turns the ball over. The squad has committed just 14.86 turnovers per contest, which stands as the third-lowest rate in the country. Stevens has not committed more than 18 turnovers in any contest this season and has 12 or fewer in two of its last three outings.
On an individual level, Ryan Gebhardt is tied for third in the NCAA with seven man-up goals this season. He is also averaging 3.43 goals per contest, which ranks 38th in the country. Equally effective on the offensive side, Max Bailey sits in the top-50 nationally with a 2.43 assists-per-game rate while dolling out 17 total helpers. On the defensive side, Carson White has a .588 save percentage and an 8.98 goals-against-average.
Thursday's meeting will mark the first time CNU and Stevens have met in men's lacrosse. Meanwhile, the Captains are Marlins are longtime rivals. Christopher Newport has faced Virginia Wesleyan 12 times with both squads capturing six wins. The Captains won last year's bout, 19-7, in Virginia Beach.
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