2019 CNU Men's Soccer Schedule
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After playing in just five home games last season, the Christopher Newport men's soccer fans will have plenty of opportunities to catch the Captains in Newport News with ten games on the 2019 slate. First-year head coach
Justin Chezem announced the schedule Tuesday morning with the 2019 version of the Captains set to take the field for the first time on Friday, August 30 against Greensboro College.
The ten regular season home games is the most scheduled for Captains Field since 2014. The schedule includes a double round robin against Capital Athletic Conference competition and five non-conference home games along with trips to Pennsylvania and Texas.
CNU's season will open with the 17th Annual Joe Pombriant/CNU Soccer Classic on August 30-31. Kicking off the year at Captains Field, CNU will welcome in Kean University, Whitman College, and Greensboro College for a two-day event in Newport News. The classic tournament format will pit the Captains against Greensboro College first before taking on Whitman College in game two as the Blues travel all the way from Walla Walla, Washington.
The Captains will wrap up a three-game homestand to start the year with a Wednesday night matchup against N.C. Wesleyan College on September 4. They will then hit the road for three straight with trips to Gettysburg College on September 7 and a flight to San Antonio, Texas for a pair on the weekend of September 13-14. First, CNU will take on host and perennial power Trinity (Texas) at 8:00 pm on Friday night. The Tigers finished the 2018 season ranked No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and have reached the NCAA Tournament in 17 straight seasons and have won the Division III championship twice, most recently in 2007. The Captains will also face Hardin-Simmons University on the same field, playing at 7:00 pm on Saturday night.
Returning home, Christopher Newport will wrap up non-conference action against a pair of top ODAC programs in the University of Lynchburg (September 18) and Washington & Lee University (September 21). The two teams have combined to win five straight league championships and each have battled to .500 records against the Captains all-time. CNU and Lynchburg have matched up 23 times for an 8-8-5 series and the Generals, who finished 2018 ranked No. 23 in the nation, are 2-2 all-time against the Captains.
Heading into 2019, the Capital Athletic Conference will have a new look in conference play as the men's soccer coaches have agreed to play a double round robin starting on September 28 when the Captains host York College of Pennsylvania at 7:00 pm. CNU will return the trip to PA on October 26 in the second-to-last game of the regular season. After kicking off against the Spartans, CNU will travel to Southern Virginia (October 1) and then host Mary Washington (October 5) and St. Mary's (October 9). Wrapping up the first round of action is a road trip to Salisbury (October 12) that kicks off a three-game swing away from home including games at St. Mary's (October 16) and Mary Washington (October 19). Finally, two of the last three games will be played at Captains Field as CNU hosts Southern Virginia (October 23) and Salisbury (October 30) around the trip to York.
The CAC Tournament will be played on the site of the higher seeds starting with the Quarterfinals on November 2. The semifinals and championship game will be played on November 6 and 9, respectively, with the conference champion earning the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
The Captains are coming off a 2018 campaign that saw the team finish with a 7-8-1 overall record in Steve Shaw's final season as head coach. CNU has finished first in the CAC in two of the last three seasons and have won a pair of conference championships in the first six years as members of the league.
