Live Stats // Video Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will kick off the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday at 2 p.m. when CNU hosts Mary Washington in a first-round battle at Captains Field.
Christopher Newport enters the postseason as the No. 3 seed after compiling an 11-6 record, including a 4-2 mark in league play. Mary Washington earned the No. 6 seed after posting a 7-10 record with a 1-5 ledger against conference foes.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats will be available at CNUsports.com. The Captains will also provide a broadcast of the action with Will Geise on the call. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
Coming into the playoffs, Christopher Newport is averaging 16.8 caused turnovers per game, which stands as the highest rate in the NCAA. On an individual level,
Phoenix Hines ranks sixth in the country with 51 caused turnovers, which also places him two shy of matching Brandon Moloney's single-season program record.
Max Wayne has also forced 47 turnovers, which marks the eighth-highest total in the country.
Along with Hines and Wayne,
Drew Cornell has added 39 caused turnovers while collecting a team-high 60 ground balls. That ranks as the third-highest total in the CAC among non-faceoff specialists. Meanwhile,
Scott McAneney is 13th in the NCAA with 227 saves. That also stands the highest single-season total in CNU history.
On the offensive side,
Dylan Rice is tied for fifth in the CAC with 46 goals and has 12 hat-tricks this season. Although Rice has headlined the team's offensive efforts, the Captains have featured a well-balanced attack. So far this year, 12 different players have at least one multi-goal outing, including a dozen by
Lucas Barry.
On the other side of the field, Mary Washington enters the playoffs on a three-game skid, including a 13-12 overtime setback at Frostburg State on Wednesday. The Eagles rank 13th in the NCAA in ground balls after securing 654 during the regular season. The squad has also been effective on faceoffs as UMW boasts a .582 winning percentage, which ranks third in the CAC.
Leading Mary Washington on the offensive side, Shane McKenzie boasts a league-high 49 assists. That already stands as a program record and marks the most by a player in the CAC since 2017. Meanwhile, Chris White is third in the Capital with 49 goals, and Eli Ayer is third with 181 faceoff victories. Between the pipes, Billy Senicola has compiled a .484 save percentage and a 12.69 goals-against-average.
The Captains and Eagles previously met on April 6 with CNU posting a 15-11 win in Newport News. During that battle,
Jackson Deal contributed five points, while Rice had four goals. McAneney also matched his career-high with 19 saves. On the other side, McKenzie handed out five assists during that battle, and Ayer won 20 of his 23 faceoff attempts.
The winner of Saturday's tilt will advance to the CAC semifinals on May 1 for a date with the survivor of the Salisbury - Southern Virginia battle. The highest remaining seed will host the game.
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