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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Entering the weekend, there are only five men's lacrosse teams that have yet to suffer a loss this season, and two of them will square off at Jennings Family Stadium on Saturday at 4 p.m. when the second-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team hosts top-ranked Salisbury in a Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference showdown.

Coming into the battle, the Captains and Sea Gulls are tied for the best record in the nation with matching 13-0 marks. Meanwhile, Christopher Newport is 7-0 at home, while Salisbury is 2-0 on the road.

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 contest with Andy McGregor and Will Geise calling all of the action. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.

Befitting of a battle between the nation's top-two teams, Saturday's game features intriguing match-ups all over the field. Christopher Newport's offense is second in the country in goals-per-game (18.92), while Salisbury boasts the nation's 18th-ranked scoring defense (7.62 goals-against-average). On the flip side, the Sea Gulls sit third in the NCAA in scoring offense (18.54 goals per game), while the Captains are allowing only 8.15 goals per contest on the defensive end, which ranks 27th nationally.

Additionally, Salisbury is fifth in the country in shooting percentage (.363), and Christopher Newport is second in caused turnovers per game (17.77). On an individual level, Warner Cabaniss is 17th nationally with a .664 faceoff percentage, while Salisbury's Ham McPartland is ninth with a .705 mark. Zac Hanway is also 21st in the country in goals-against-average (8.14), and his counterpart - Z.J. Shahin - is third with a 6.52 average.

On the offensive end, Dylan Rice ranks seventh in the NCAA with 74 points this season, while Salisbury's Cross Ferrara is fourth with 79. Two of the most dominant scorers in the country, Ferrara is second among all active players at any level of the NCAA with 243 career goals. Rice is fourth with 220.

The Captains are returning to action following a lengthy layoff. The squad has not played since a 22-10 victory at Southern Virginia on April 6. During that contest, Coby Auslander erupted for a career-high five goals, which earned him the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week award. Alex Brendes and Andrew Cook also had four strikes apiece, while Phoenix Hines forced three turnovers on the back end.

Salisbury was last in action on Monday when the squad upended St. Mary's (Md.), 19-14. Ferrara had seven points against the Seahawks, while Isaac Thrasher and Logan Posner had five goals apiece. McPartland also continued his domination at the faceoff dot while winning 23 of his 30 attempts. 

Saturday's battle will mark the 13th showdown between the two programs with Salisbury holding a 12-1 edge in the series. The Sea Gulls won the most recent match-up, 18-8, in the NCAA Final Four last year. During that contest, Rice and Brady Altobello both recorded hat-tricks for the Captains, while Auslander handed out two assists.

Following this weekend's contest, Christopher Newport will return to action on April 23 for a 1 p.m. tilt against Mary Washington.

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