SPARKS, Md. -- Wrapping up a three-game road trip on Saturday at noon, the fourth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will square off with No. 14 Amherst in a neutral-site battle at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland.
Entering the weekend, CNU sits at 9-2 on the season, including 2-2 on the road. Meanwhile, Amherst is 3-2 with a 1-1 mark away from home.
Saturday's match-up will be Christopher Newport's third consecutive neutral-site contest after playing a pair of games at the Mustang Classic in Owings Mills, Marland last week. It will also serve as the squad's first appearance at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters in school history.
So far this season, the Captains boast one of the nation's most disruptive defenses, which is averaging 13.91 takeaways per contest. That stands as the 10th-best rate in the NCAA. On an individual level, six Captains are averaging at least one caused turnover per game. Leading the way,
Mark Davison has a team-high 20 strips, while
Brett Kelley is second with 19.
Meanwhile, on the back side,
Mason Bellinger is fourth in the country with 128 saves. The reigning All-American has pocketed at least 10 stops in eight of his 10 appearances, including a season-high 18 against No. 1 Tufts last Saturday. That equaled the 10th-highest total by a Captain in program history.
On the other end of the field, CNU features the nation's 19th-ranked scoring offense, which is producing 15 goals per game.
Jamie Smith sits second in the NCAA with 51 tallies, while
Kevin Miller is second with 43 assists. Additionally,
Ryan Miller is 11th in the country - and first among freshmen - with 23 helpers.
Remarkably,
Ryan Miller's 23 assists are also the second-most by a freshman in school history, just six shy of matching former legend Jackson Deal's record of 29 set in 2018. Coupled with his 20 goals this season, Miller is also one of only four first-year Captains to record at least 20 strikes and 20 helpers in the same season. In that club, he joined his older brother,
Kevin Miller, who accomplished the feat in 2024 as well as current teammate
Jackson Platner (2025) and former legend Justin King (2008).
Amherst comes into the weekend on a two-game roll, including a 13-11 win over Swarthmore at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters on Wednesday. During their most recent outing, the Mammoths were knotted at 10-10 entering the fourth period before Bob Gross landed the go-ahead dart in the 47th minute and Patrick Arnold added two straight tallies to seal the win.
Overall this season, Gross leads Amherst with 16 points, including 12 goals, while Dylan Kelleher ranks among the national-leaders with a .547 faceoff percentage. On the defensive side, Thompson Lau has a team-high eight caused turnovers, and Spencer Will has started the last two games while compiling a .529 save percentage and 8.75 goals-against-average.
Saturday's contest will be the first ever meeting between CNU and Amherst in men's lacrosse.
After this weekend, Christopher Newport will return home on March 28 for the Coastal Lacrosse Conference opener against Stockton at noon. That contest will also serve as the program's annual Senior Day.
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