ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Continuing a trend of taking on top competition, the 19th-ranked Christopher Newport men's soccer team will hit the road on Saturday to face another challenging foe in St. Mary's College of Maryland. Kickoff against the Seahawks will be 6:00 p.m.
Over the last seven games, the Captains have faced four nationally-ranked opponents and two more receiving votes in the polls. The matchup against SMCM on Saturday will add to that run as the Seahawks are receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 and the D3soccer.com National Rankings. The former Capital Athletic Conference rivals are 9-1-4 overall this season and are on an eight-game winning streak heading into Saturday evening's bout.
The Captains are 8-2-1 so far this season and are unbeaten in seven of the last eight games. CNU is coming off a scoreless draw against No. 9 Washington and Lee last Saturday, becoming the first team to shut out the Generals in fall competition since 2019.
Saturday evening's matchup will be the 29th all-time meeting between the two programs with Christopher Newport owning a 21-5-2 advantage in the series. The Captains are 14-0-1 since the 2005 season including a 4-2 win at home against the Seahawks last season. In the series, four of the five Captains losses have come on the road.
Live stats and a live video webcast will be available for all the action courtesy of the SMCM Department of Athletics. Links to both can be found on CNUsports.com via the men's soccer schedule online.
Led by a stout defensive back line, the Christopher Newport defense has headlined the team's success in 2022 with seven shutouts in 11 games played. The Captains have gotten starts from
Ryan Kiely and
Trevor Smith in all 11 games, helping lead the way for the defense, while
Chris Schram has slid back to help solidify the back in the absence of injured starters
Jacob Dudley and
Kyle Stenzel.
Jonathon Leiding and
Jonah Fitz have each played pivotal roles in holding opponents to just a 0.65 goals-against average this season, with seven starts apiece.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Captains' depth has led to 15 different players finding the back of the net this season. Senior
Brendan Todd leads the charge with three goals and one assist for seven points while
Elton Quintanilla has also added seven points on two goals and three helpers. Newcomer
Ryan Machado-Jones leads the team in assists with four and ranks third in scoring with six total points this year.
St. Mary's (Md.) features a dangerous offense averaging over three goals per game coming into Saturday night's tilt. The Seahawks rank fourth nationally in total goals and ninth in scoring offense. Leading the way is Alex Ochman, who has scored 22 points on 10 goals and two assists. Thomas Williamson has added 21 points on nine goals and three assists with three game-winning goals.
Following Saturday night's game, the Captains will return home for the regular season home finale against Salisbury on Wednesday, October 19 before closing out the regular season with two road games at Mary Washington and a return trip to Salisbury.
