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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The fourth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will open up the postseason on Wednesday at 1 p.m. when the Captains host Kean in the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Semifinals at Jennings Family Stadium.

CNU secured the No. 2 seed in the league playoffs after wrapping up the regular season with a 15-2 record, including a 4-1 mark in conference action. Meanwhile, Kean boasts the No. 3 seed and enters the midweek match-up with a 14-4 record after knocking off Montclair State, 14-9, in the opening round of the league tournament on Sunday.

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 Andy McGregor calling all of the action. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.

Christopher Newport enters the playoffs ranked among the national leaders in nearly every major statistical category. On the offensive side, the Captains are fifth in the country in man-up offense (.525), 16th in scoring offense (16.59 goals-per-game), and 20th in shooting percentage (.334). Meanwhile, the squad is also 10th in takeaways-per-game (13.24), 15th in clearing percentage (.884), 16th in faceoff percentage (.656), and 20th in ground balls-per-contest (40.82).

Remarkably, CNU is one of only two teams in the nation that ranks in the top-20 nationally in shooting percentage, faceoff percentage, and clearing percentage. Only Grove City boasts a similarly well-balanced squad.

On an individual level, Kevin Miller is third in the country with 59 assists, which also stands as a new single-season program record. Meanwhile, Jamie Smith is sixth nationally with 63 total goals and 11 man-up tallies. Additionally, Warner Cabaniss is 14th in the NCAA with a .681 faceoff percentage. That also ranks first on the school's all-time charts.

Entering the playoffs, Cabaniss is also inching towards more history with his work on faceoffs. The three-time All-American has 1,039 career victories, which ranks 14th in NCAA history and eighth in Division III lore. He is also just 11 shy of matching former UVA legend Petey LaSalla for the most in Virginia state history. LaSalla won 1,050 faceoffs with the Cavaliers from 2019-23.

Among other potential history-makers, Brett Jackson has 24 career man-up goals, which is one shy of matching former All-American Dylan Rice's all-time program record. Coincidentally, Smith is also two man-up tallies away from tying Jackson's single-season standard of 13, which he set in 2023.

Kean also boasts a high-powered attack, led by junior Dylan Johnson. The reigning All-American is second in the nation with 69 goals, while his 3.24 goals-per-game average over the last three years is the 17th-highest rate among all active players in the NCAA. Overall, he ranks 21st among current collegiate players with 179 total goals, while teammate Nick Thorne is 28th with 173. The Cougars are one of only seven teams in the nation with a pair of players ranked in the top-50 among active goals-scorers.

Adding to their historic accomplishments, Thorne is just three assists shy of reaching 100 for his career, while Johnson is three points away from recording his first career 100-point campaign.

Along with the offensive standouts, Kenny Yeager is fourth in the league with 36 caused turnovers, while Jake Gruzas is sixth with 29. Between the pipes, Nick Paterno has a .532 save percentage and 11.91 goals-against-average. He has made at least 10 saves in 12 of his appearances, including 13 stops in the opening round of the league playoffs on Sunday.

CNU and Kean last met on April 12 when the Captains posted an 18-7 win in Newport News. During that contest, Miller handed out six assists, which equaled the fourth-most by a Captain. Meanwhile, Cabaniss won 15 of his 16 faceoffs and hauled in 14 ground balls. His 14 rollers equaled the sixth-highest total in program history. On the other side, Johnson scored six goals for the Cougars, while Paterno collected 10 saves.

The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Championship, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed on Sunday. Wednesday's other semifinal bout features fifth-seeded Stockton traveling to top-seeded Salisbury at 5 p.m.

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