Live Stats // Video Stream
MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- The sixth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will kick off Coastal Lacrosse Conference action on Saturday at noon when the Captains travel to Montclair State for a league bout at Sprague Field.
Entering the weekend, CNU sits at 7-3 on the season, including 2-2 on the road. Meanwhile, MSU is 4-4 with a 2-2 ledger at home.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at MontclairAthletics.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
The Captains are coming off of a tough five-game stretch in which CNU faced five consecutive top-20 opponents. During that run, the Captains knocked off No. 4 Dickinson and No. 13 Lynchburg while falling to No. 3 Tufts, No. 10 St. Lawrence, and No. 20 Williams.
On an individual level,
Andrew Cook led the Captains with 15 goals and 10 assists during that nationally-ranked gauntlet.
Alex Brendes also sank 13 tallies, while
Drew Miller and
Coby Auslander chipped in with 15 points apiece. On the other end of the field,
Ryan Young forced 17 turnovers over the past five games, while
Warner Cabaniss won 56 percent of his faceoffs and nabbed 37 ground balls.
Cabaniss was especially effective in his last appearance against No. 20 Williams as the junior All-American won 21 faceoffs, which equaled the fifth-highest total in program history. Meanwhile, his 10 victories in the fourth quarter marked the second-most by a Captain in a single period.
So far this season, Cabaniss ranks 31st in the NCAA in faceoff percentage (.640), while his 88 ground balls place him 16th on the national charts. On the offensive end, Cook is 28th in the country with a 5.20 points-per-game average. As a team, CNU is second in clearing percentage (.919), 12th in takeaways-per-game (13.30), and 27th in scoring offense (14.80 goals-per-game).
Montclair State comes into the weekend on a two-game roll, including an 11-10 win at Widener on Wednesday. After the Pride stole a 10-9 lead with seven minutes remaining in regulation, the Red Hawks responded with the game's final two goals, including the clincher by William Burdge in the 57th minute.
Overall this season, Ryan Vierbuchen leads the team with 23 goals and 38 points, while Jack Cleary ranks 17th nationally with a 2.75 assists-per-game average. On the back side, Corbin Quintero leads MSU with 14 caused turnovers, and Brandon Shevins has compiled a .539 save percentage and 12.03 goals-against-average.
Saturday's game will mark the second meeting between the two programs after CNU secured a 20-5 win during last year's inaugural match-up in Newport News. During that game, eight different Captains registered multiple points, including a six-goal eruption by Cook.
After this weekend, Christopher Newport will continue league action on April 6 when the team hosts No. 1 Salisbury at 1 p.m.
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