LEXINGTON, Va. -- Earlier this week, the Christopher Newport men's soccer team moved up one spot in the United Soccer Coaches National Rankings, now listed as the 15th-best team in Division III. The nationally-ranked Captains will next travel to face No. 2 Washington & Lee on Friday night with kickoff scheduled for 5:00 pm. 

The match will be the first of two against Top-25 competition this weekend as CNU is in a stretch that includes three of four games against teams among the nation's elite. In the Week 2 regular season poll, the Captains checked in at No. 15 while Chicago (L, 3-1), Washington & Lee (5-0-1), and Emory (2-1-2) are also in the poll. The challenging schedule for head coach Justin Chezem's squad continues later in the season when CNU will also take on No. 3 St. Mary's (Md.) and No. 22 Johns Hopkins. 

First up, though, are the Generals of Washington & Lee University on their home field Friday evening. After a 1-1 draw at Emory to open the season, W&L has ripped off five straight wins while outscoring opponents 16-1. In 2019, Washington & Lee reached the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament and finished the season with a 17-3-3 overall record. 

Like the Captains, W&L features a stingy defense that has been led by veteran goalkeeper Michael Nyc this season. The fifth-year netminder has saved 20 shots while allowing just two goals for a 0.31 goals against average so far. Offensively, John Peterson has come off the bench to lead the team in scoring with nine points on four goals and one assist. Starter Samuel Bass has three goals and two assists for eight points while the rest of the scoring has been spread between nine other players. 

This will just be the seventh matchup all-time between the two heavyweights with Washington & Lee holding a slight 3-2-1 advantage in the series to this point. It will only be the third time the two programs have faced off in Lexington, with the home team capturing a 2-1 overtime win in 2018 for the last trip made by the Captains. 

Christopher Newport is 3-1-2 to start the year and is coming off a 1-0 win at North Park University. Junior transfer Chris Schram leads the team in scoring with three goals and an assist while seven more Captains have logged one goal so far this season. Defensively, Davis Pillow and Daniel Hulett anchor a back line that has also featured Jacob Dudley, Jonathon Leiding, and Ryan Kiely so far. In five of the Captains' six games, opponents have been held to one goal or fewer with three shutouts. 

For fans unable to travel to Lexington, live stats and a live video webcast will be available at kickoff presented by the W&L Athletics Department. Links to both can be found on the CNU Men's Soccer schedule at CNUsports.com. 

Following Friday night's Top-25 matchup, the Captains will travel to Charlotte, N.C. to take on No. 25 Emory University in a neutral site matchup at the OrthoCarolina Sportsplex this Sunday, September 26. Kickoff against the Eagles is at 3:00 pm.