NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Capping off Homecoming Weekend with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff against Salisbury University (7-4-3), the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport men's soccer team will return to the home field on Saturday night. The Captains, ranked No. 21 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, come into the matchup with an 8-1-4 overall record including an unbeaten 5-0-2 mark at Captains Field. 

The matchup will conclude a busy day of Homecoming offerings from the CNU Athletics Department as the Christopher Newport volleyball team finishes out the C2C Invitational across campus and men's soccer will follow the nationally-ranked CNU Football and CNU Women's Soccer programs on the outdoor fields. 

For fans unable to attend the festivities, live stats and a live video webcast will be available for all the action at CNUsports.com. 

CNU will be taking on Salisbury for the 48th time in the all-time series with the matchup all knotted up at 20 wins, 20 losses, and seven draws. In each of the head-to-head battles last season, the team's played to a 1-1 draw. The Captains are riding an eight-game unbeaten streak (5-0-3) in home games against the Sea Gulls with the last loss to Salisbury in Newport News coming on October 23, 2013. 

This season, the Captains are entering the penultimate home game of the season riding a three-match unbeaten streak while boasting a top-40 win percentage in the nation at 8-1-4 (.769). CNU features one of the top defensive units in Division III this season, ranking 31st in goals-against average (0.69) and 20th in save percentage (.836). Senior goalkeeper Hayden Dewey leads the league in shutouts with six and has registered 39 saves this year. 

Offensively, the Captains exploded for six goals in their last game with a 6-1 win against Regent University. Six different goal scorers were featured while Caleb Lewis led the way with a goal and an assist. Ryan Buckon scored the game's first goal and sophomore defender Carson Friedlein picked up the game-winning goal in the 36th minute of action. Also finding the back of the net in the game were Barry Jones, Bilal Hawa, and Shaurya Thakur. 

For the year, Friedliein leads all scorers with eight points on three goals and two assists while junior Drew McWhinney has added three scores to rank second with six points. 

Salisbury counters with a team that has not lost since October 1 with wins in four of the last six games. The Sea Gulls are coming off a scoreless tie against Mary Washington on October 11 after earning a win at Johns Hopkins earlier in the week. David Brunetti leads the offense with seven goals while Liam Pierce has added 10 points on four goals and two assists. Veteran Dale Gordon has started all 14 games and is tied for the team lead with four assists this season for the Sea Gulls. 

Following the home matchup against Salisbury, the Captains will hit the road to take on North Carolina Wesleyan on Wednesday October 22. With just three games remaining in the regular season, CNU will also host Mary Washington (Oct 29) and travel to Salisbury (Nov 1) to close out the year before hosting the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament from Nov 6-9.