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LEXINGTON, Va. -- After knocking off a pair of top-10 foes last week, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team climbed to second in the USILA National Coaches Poll and picked up 15 first-place votes ahead of the squad's showdown against No. 6 Washington & Lee on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Wilson Field.
The Captains finished with 393 total points in the poll, falling just two shy of top-ranked Tufts, who earned four first-place votes. RIT, who also secured a pair of first-place tallies, fell to third in the poll, while Salisbury and Union rounded out the top-five.
Christopher Newport was previously ranked second earlier this year before falling to third last week. However, the squad returned to the top-two and stockpiled first-place votes after knocking off RIT, who entered last week ranked first in the country, and Dickinson, who currently stands 10th in the USILA poll.
Along with moving to second in the USILA rankings, the Captains also claimed the top spot in both the
Inside Lacrosse and
USA Lacrosse Magazine polls.
After a pair of top-10 wins at the Mustang Classic last week, the Captains have a quick turnaround as the team travels to No. 6 Washington & Lee on Wednesday. For those fans unable to make the trip, live stats and a video stream of the game will be available at GeneralsSports.com.
Entering Wednesday's game, Christopher Newport sits at 8-0 overall, including 3-0 on the road. Washington & Lee is 6-1 with a 2-1 mark at home.
During the Mustang Classic,
Andrew Cook registered 12 points, including 10 goals. Scoring at least four times in both outings, he extended his goal streak to 27 consecutive appearances dating back to last year. That equals the longest run in program history, matching the mark set by All-American
Dylan Rice from April 24, 2021 through May 21, 2022.
Along with Cook,
Alex Brendes posted six goals, including five during the come-from-behind win over Dickinson on Saturday. Overall, eight different players scored at least once during the Mustang Classic. Among those,
Brett Jackson posted a pair of man-up tallies,
Coby Auslander finished with nine points, and
Will Mercado registered a strike in his fourth straight outing with a third-quarter rocket against RIT.
In addition to the offensive heroes,
Warner Cabaniss won 33 of his 49 faceoffs and collected 26 ground balls, while
Zac Hanway posted 27 total saves during the two games last week.
Aidan Wheeler and
Burke Widhelm also added three takeaways apiece.
Washington & Lee enters the midweek match-up ranked fifth nationally in man-up offense (.632), 14th in clearing percentage (.890), and 20th in scoring offense (16.14 goals per game). So far this season, the Generals already boast wins over No. 12 Denison and No. 14 York (Pa.) while also dropping a hard-fought 15-9 decision to No. 8 Gettysburg.
On an individual level, Hillis Burns and Joey Allen both have 19 goals for Washington & Lee, while Hudson Pokorny sits third with 14. Meanwhile, Will Bou has a .586 faceoff percentage to go along with 27 ground balls, and Ryan Boyd sports a .458 save percentage and 9.09 goals-against-average.
In 10 previous meetings between the two programs, Washington & Lee holds a 6-4 edge in the series. Christopher Newport won last year's tilt, 13-8, at Jennings Family Stadium. Cook had a hat-trick in that game, while Auslander added two assists.
Following Wednesday's game, the Captains will return to action on Saturday when they host Hampden-Sydney at 6 p.m.
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