Live Stats // Video Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Wrapping up a three-game homestand, the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will host Montclair State in the Coastal Lacrosse Conference opener at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Jennings Family Stadium.
Coming into the competition, CNU sits at 10-1 on the season, including 6-1 at home. Meanwhile, Montclair State is 8-2 with a 5-1 mark on the road.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats will be available at CNUsports.com. The Captains will also provide a broadcast of the contest with Will Geise and Randy Foster calling all of the action. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
Prior to Saturday's game, Christopher Newport will hold its annual Senior Day celebration. The Captains will honor the program's nine fourth-year seniors. That group includes
Tom Best,
Warner Cabaniss,
Colin DeGrassi,
Brett Jackson,
Trey Landolfi,
Jack Lyman,
John Santoro,
Logan Shassian, and team manager
Maximus Strasbaugh.
Together, that group has helped CNU make three consecutive Elite Eight appearances, including a Final Four run in 2023. Along the way, the team has compiled a remarkable 63-13 record since 2022 while never falling below eighth in the USILA National Coaches Poll. That stretch includes five weeks spent at the No. 1 spot in the national rankings.
The Captains are coming off of a 12-11 victory over Williams on Wednesday. Against the Ephs,
Jamie Smith completed his seventh straight hat-trick with the game-winning goal in the 54th minute. Jackson also had three tallies for CNU,
Kevin Miller added four points, and Cabaniss won 17 of his 22 faceoffs.
Equally impressive against Williams,
Mason Bellinger pocketed 11 saves and became just the second goalie in program history to score a goal. Later, he added an assist, which made him the first CNU keeper with a two-point outing. In fact, no other goalie had ever notched two points in an entire career.
So far this season, CNU ranks sixth in the nation in scoring offense (16.73 goals-per-game), 13th in takeaways-per-game (13.45), 14th in faceoff percentage (.684), and 20th in shooting percentage (.328). On an individual level, Miller is second in the country with a 3.55 assists-per-game rate, while Smith is 12th with six man-up tallies.
Montclair State comes to town on a five-game road winning streak. Headlining the squad's work this season, Nicholi Halse ranks 30th in the nation in both save percentage (.594) and goals-against-average (8.57). The second-year keeper has surrendered fewer than seven goals in six of his appearances, including an 8-6 win over Widener on Wednesday. He also has six double-digit save efforts this season.
On the other end of the field, Max Morosoff leads Montclair State with 40 points, including 28 goals. Jack Cleary has also handed out 18 assists, while Cody Cooper sits second on the squad with 17 strikes. At the dot, Lucas Novack has won 80 of his 178 faceoff attempts while notching three goals and 55 ground balls.
In two previous meetings between CNU and MSU, the Captains hold a pristine 2-0 record, including a 12-6 triumph last year in New Jersey. During that showdown, Miller and Jackson both scored for the victors, while Cabaniss went 11-for-19 on faceoffs. Cleary notched four points for the Red Hawks.
Following Saturday's action, Christopher Newport will return to the road for a 6 p.m. test at No. 10 Washington and Lee on Monday.
---ISH---
