Live Stats // Video Stream
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- After a dominant victory on Saturday, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team continued its climb up the USILA National Coaches Poll as the Captains moved to second in the rankings ahead of the squad's showdown with Randolph-Macon on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Jennings Family Stadium.
Starting the year ranked fourth in the poll, the Captains have moved up one spot in each of the last two releases. Christopher Newport eventually earned two first-place votes and 358 total points in the latest poll, which placed the team just behind top-ranked RIT.
Following the Captains, Gettysburg, Tufts, and Union rounded out the top-five.
For those fans looking to watch the Captains in action, Christopher Newport will begin a four-game homestand on Wednesday against Randolph-Macon at 4 p.m. Live stats and a video stream of the contest will also 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 made its latest jump in the rankings after improving to 2-0 on the season with a 19-11 victory over Stevenson, who entered the battle ranked 20th in the country. During the game,
Andrew Cook erupted for a school-record nine goals, while
Warner Cabaniss matched his own single-game program standard with 17 ground balls. Along with the history-makers,
Coby Auslander notched six points,
Alex Brendes added five, and
Zac Hanway pocketed 11 saves.
With their work on Saturday, Brendes moved into a tie for fifth on the program's all-time points list with 148, while Auslander jumped to eighth with 138. Cabaniss also moved into the top-10 on the ground ball list. The second-year star has 168 in his tenure, matching former All-American
Dylan Rice for the ninth-most by a Captain.
Meanwhile, on the back end,
Ryan Young now sits eighth in school history with 73 caused turnovers, while
Campbell Pozin is 10th with 56. Inching up the charts,
Burke Widhelm is also 11th with 53, and
Aidan FitzGerald is 14th with 45.
Randolph-Macon comes into Wednesday on a two-game roll, including a 22-13 win over Whittier on Friday. During the lopsided triumph, the Yellow Jackets picked up goals from 10 different players, including five strikes by Austin Payne. The squad also benefited from four goals by Jack Smith, whose younger brother,
Jamie Smith, is currently a freshman on the Captains.
Sitting at 2-1 on the season, RMC has been led by Smith, who boasts a team-high 20 points and 12 goals. Meanwhile, JD Spotts has won 29 of his 56 faceoff attempts, while Brodie Kent has six takeaways and 19 ground balls. Between the pipes, Owen Gucwa sports a .435 save percentage and a 13.68 goals-against-average.
In 14 previous match-ups between the two programs, Christopher Newport holds an 8-6 edge in the series. Last year, the Captains recorded a 14-12 win in Ashland. Cook tallied three goals for the victors, including the go-ahead strike that broke a 9-9 deadlock in the third quarter. Defensively, Young matched the single-game school record with eight caused turnovers during that bout, while Hanway added seven saves.
Following Wednesday's tilt, Christopher Newport will remain at home on Saturday for a 4 p.m. test against Catholic.
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