Live Stats
SALEM, Va. -- The 20th-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will continue its early season road swing on Wednesday when the Captains travel to Roanoke for a 4 p.m. battle at Donald J. Kerr Stadium.
Entering the midweek match-up, Christopher Newport sits at 1-0 after upending Washington (Md.) on Saturday. Meanwhile, Roanoke will be making its season debut on Wednesday.
The Captains, who broke into the USILA National Coaches Poll for the first time this season on Monday, are coming off a 15-6 victory in the season opener. After a lengthy offseason, Christopher Newport showed no signs of rust on the offensive side as the squad's 15-goal output was its largest in an opener since a 17-1 victory at Randolph in 2011. Nine different players scored at least once against the Shoremen, including multi-goal efforts by
Alex Brendes,
Thomas Mark,
Dylan Rice, and
Drew Miller.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side, the Captains tormented Washington (Md.) with 22 takeaways. That equaled the sixth-highest single-game total in program history and the second-highest in a road tilt. On an individual level, Rice forced four turnovers to go along with his offensive exploits, while
Max Wayne and
Aaron Casteel had three apiece.
Miles Collins also had two caused turnovers and tied for the team-lead with four ground balls.
After compiling an 11-8 record in 2019, Roanoke was slotted fourth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. Welcoming back a healthy contingent from last year's squad, the Maroons will be led by a pair of reigning All-Conference performers. Senior Jason Sarro was a first-team All-League selection last year and garnered Preseason All-American accolades earlier this month. The fourth-year standout led RC with 41 assists last season while ranking second on the squad with 37 goals and 78 points.
Along with Sarro, Sam Balch returns to the defensive unit after picking up second-team All-League nods last year. During his sophomore campaign, he forced 11 turnovers and collected 33 ground balls. Additionally, Cole Marini and Josh Vetter are also back after helping anchor the back line last year while starting at least 12 games apiece. Marini finished 2019 with 27 ground balls, while Vetter had 22 takeaways.
Wednesday's meeting will mark the sixth all-time match-up between the two programs with Christopher Newport holding a 3-2 edge in the series. The Captains won last year's contest, 17-3, in Newport News. Rice and
Brady Altobello both had hat-tricks during that game, while Collins contributed four points. On the defensive side,
Phoenix Hines forced seven turnovers and
Scott McAneney made 18 saves.
In the program's three meetings over the past two seasons, Rice has seven goals and three assists against the Maroons, while
Jackson Deal and
Will Stockhausen have five points apiece. Meanwhile, fellow junior
Griffin Hanes has a goal and an assist in each of his last two battles with Roanoke.
Following Wednesday's contest, Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad kicks off its home slate with a 6 p.m. tilt against Hampden-Sydney at Jennings Family Stadium.
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