Live Stats // Video Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Kicking off the NCAA Tournament at home, the third-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will open the national playoffs on Saturday at noon when the Captains host Sewanee in a second-round tilt at Jennings Family Stadium.
Entering the playoffs, Christopher Newport sits at 16-1 on the season, including 10-1 at home. Meanwhile, Sewanee is 9-8 overall and 2-5 on the road.
Along with the Captains' showdown with Sewanee, Christopher Newport will also host a neutral-site game between No. 14 Wesleyan and No. 18 RPI, which is slated to start at 3 p.m. Tickets for the twin bill will be $10 and can be purchased at the gate beginning one hour before the start of Saturday's action. CNU students with a valid ID will be admitted free of charge.
The winners from Saturday's doubleheader will square off in a third-round match-up on Sunday at 3 p.m.
For those fans unable to attend the games, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
Christopher Newport earned an at-large bid to the playoffs after boasting one of the nation's most well-rounded rosters during the regular season. Entering the tournament, the Captains rank fourth in the nation in scoring offense (19.00 goals per game) and 12th in scoring defense (7.76 goals against average). The squad's average margin of victory this season is 11.24 goals per game, which stands as the second-highest in the NCAA.
Equally impressive in all facets of the game, Christopher Newport also ranks first in the nation in takeaways per contest (17.94) and ground balls per game (46.65) while slotting fourth in assists per outing (11.53) and 20th in shooting percentage (.339).
On an individual level, eight Captains secured All-American honors from
USA Lacrosse Magazine this week. Headlining the group,
Phoenix Hines,
Campbell Pozin, and
Max Wayne became the first three players in school history to earn first-team accolades. Wayne also made history on Tuesday when he became the first Division III player selected in the Premier Lacrosse League College Draft. The fifth-year defenseman was taken by Atlas with the 21st overall selection.
Along with the first-team All-Americans,
Dylan Rice and
Andrew Cook garnered second-team nods, while
Coby Auslander,
Warner Cabaniss, and
Burke Widhelm picked up honorable mention plaudits.
Among the national honorees, Rice is 17th in the NCAA in goals (62), while Cabaniss is 22nd in faceoff percentage (.663). On the back end, Hines is 16th in the country in takeaways (47), and Wayne sits 18th with 46 caused turnovers.
Sewanee earned its spot in the second round of the playoffs after knocking off Benedictine (Ill.), 18-9, in its opening game on Wednesday. The victory was the Tigers' first NCAA Tournament win in program history. Headlining the historic triumph, Ryan Hofstetter and Will Wyckoff both posted seven points, while Carlton Ward won 19 of his 25 faceoffs and nabbed 10 ground balls.
Entering the weekend, Hofstetter leads Sewanee with 51 points, including 24 assists. For his work this season, he earned a spot on the All-Southern Athletic Association squad. The senior standout was joined on the All-Conference team by Luke Valentine, Jack Westfall, and Jack Selner. Valentine boasts a team-high 38 goals this year, while Westfall has 20 points. On the back end, Selner has 28 caused turnovers, which ranks third in the SAA.
Saturday's contest will mark just the second meeting between the two programs. The Captains won the only other battle, 19-6, in 2008.
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