NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Capping off a busy day at Christopher Newport University on Saturday, the Christopher Newport men's soccer team will welcome top-ranked Mary Washington for Senior Night at Captains Field. With multiple sports set to showcase on campus this weekend, it will be the Captains men's soccer team, boasting an overall record of 5-5-5, that wraps up the day with a kickoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. 

Prior to the start of Saturday night's game, head coach Justin Chezem and the rest of the program will celebrate the careers of six senior Captains. Playing in their final home regular season games, CNU will recognize Mason Field, Carson Grove, Ryan Kiely, Jason LaViola, Matt Liss, and Trevor Smith. The group helped CNU capture the 2021 C2C Championship and has reached the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship Tournament in all three years of their career. 

For fans unable to catch the festivities live in person, a video webcast and live stats will be available at CNUsports.com. Links to both can be found on the men's soccer schedule page. 

CNU will take on a talented Mary Washington squad that has carried the mantle as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation for the majority of the season. The Eagles are 15-1-1 and coming off their lone loss of the season which came at the hands of Division I Virginia on Wednesday night, 4-2. Earlier this year, Christopher Newport battled against Mary Washington on their home field, suffering a 1-0 setback courtesy of a penalty kick goal in the final seconds of the first half. CNU outshot the Eagles, 16-12, including a 5-3 edge in attempts on frame. With the loss, the all-time series is now 26-24-7 in favor of the Captains. 

Sophomore Drew McWhinney scored an electrifying goal with just 11 seconds left versus Salisbury on Wednesday night and the Captains will look to parlay that into momentum down the stretch. McWhinney ranks second on the team in goals with three while sophomore Manzi Siibo still paces the Captains with nine points on four goals and one assist this season. Senior Jason LaViola has a team-high five assists with seven points this year to help facilitate the offense. 

Defensively, junior Hayden Dewey has started all 15 games of the season and has a 1.36 GAA heading into the final game of the regular season. CNU has five shutouts and the defense, led by junior Asher Kuzemka, sophomore Yazan Yaghmmour, and freshmen Declan Karney and Carson Friedlein, is holding opponents to just four shots on-goal per contest. 

The defense will have to contend with one of the nation's top offensive units as Mary Washington comes into the game ranked 20th nationally with 2.82 goals per game. Sammy Amorose and Carter Berg are at the head of the attack as the pair have combined for nearly 130 shots in 17 games played this season. Amorose has 27 points (11g, 5a) and Berg has added 26 points (10g, 6a). In goal, veteran Freddy Rogers has allowed just 10 goals to Division III competition and features a 0.86 GAA for the year. 

Following Saturday's regular season finale, the Captains will prepare to travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia for the 2024 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship Tournament. Full seeding, game times, and more will be released by the conference on Monday.