NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Heading into the 2025 season, the Christopher Newport men's soccer team picked up one first-place vote and hauled in 30 points to capture second in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll for the third straight year. CNU was picked only behind defending conference champion Mary Washington in the annual rankings released following a vote by the league's head coaches. 

The ninth-ranked Eagles were a unanimous pick to win the league title with the remaining six first-place votes as head coaches can not vote for their own team. CNU was next and are followed by a tie for third in the rankings betwee UC Santa Cruz and Salisbury, with 24 points each. Johnson and Wales (N.C.) is picked fifth with 15 points while Regent (10 pts) and Warren Wilson (8 pts) round out the 2025 C2C Preseason Poll. 

Last season, Christopher Newport was challenged by the number one ranked strength of schedule in the nation and it prepared the Captains to make an impressive run at the conference title. After outlasting UC Santa Cruz, 2-1, in a hard-fought semifinal matchup, the Captains ultimately fell in a valiant performance against then top-ranked Mary Washington, 3-2, in an overtime championship final. Showing no quit until the very end of the season, the Captains scored a pivotal game-tying goal in the 89th minute of play to force overtime against the host Eagles. 

CNU opened the year with a 5-0-3 record and climbed to No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 before the difficult schedule took its toll and the Captains finished with a 6-7-5 overall record. The strong finish helped CNU reach the C2C Championship game in four of the last five seasons and seven times since joining the conference in 2013. 

This year, the Captains will bring back the bulk of the starting lineup that charged through the 2024 campaign including leading scorer Drew McWhinney, who finished the year with 12 points on six goals in his second season. First team All-Conference forward Manzi Siibo is also back for his senior season after recording four goals and an assist last season while senior All-Region defender Asher Kuzemka is also back in the fold. In total, ten players who started at least half of the games a year ago including senior goalkeeper Hayden Dewey, who started all 18 in net. 

Starting the year, Christopher Newport will host the first six contests beginning with two games at Captains Field next weekend. CNU opens with an August 29 bout versus the US Merchant Marine Academy before facing a top-ten foe on day two when No. 8 Dickinson College comes to town on August 30. 

 

2025 C2C Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
Rank	Institution	Points (1st)
1.	Mary Washington	36 (6)
2.	Christopher Newport	30 (1)
T3.	UC Santa Cruz	24
T3.	Salisbury	24
5.	JWU Charlotte	15
6.	Regent	10
7.	Warren Wilson	8