Live Stats // Video Stream
MEDFORD, Mass. -- After advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the sixth straight year, the fifth-ranked Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will return to action on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when the Captains square off against No. 12 Wesleyan at Tufts' Bello Field in Medford, Massachusetts.
Entering the weekend, CNU sits at 18-3, while Wesleyan is 13-4.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at NCAA.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
Along with CNU's tilt against Wesleyan, No. 1 Tufts will host No. 6 York (Pa.) in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader at 4:30 p.m. The winners of those two battles will then square off on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The last team standing at the end of the weekend will earn a spot in the NCAA Championship, which will be held at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia on May 24 at noon.
Christopher Newport advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament after opening the playoffs with a pair of victories at Jennings Family Stadium. The Captains knocked off Pfeiffer, 20-7, last Saturday before upending No. 13 Washington and Lee, 13-12, in a thriller on Sunday.
During the two games last weekend,
Kevin Miller led CNU with 14 points, including eight assists. With that performance, the junior now has 108 points this season, which ranks second on the program's all-time single-season charts. He is just seven shy of matching his own school record, which he established last year.
Ryan Miller also added nine points in the first two games of the NCAA Tournament. With that, the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Rookie of the Year pushed his season total to 81. That stands as a new freshman record at CNU, topping former legend Dylan Rice's 75-point campaign in 2018.
Along with the Miller brothers,
Fred Fulkerson was electric during Christopher Newport's come-from-behind win over W&L on Sunday. With the Captains trailing 8-4 at halftime, Fulkerson eventually scored CNU's final three goals of the game, including the go-ahead blast in the 51st minute.
Jackson Platner also finished the contest with six points. His finest work came in the fourth quarter when he landed the equalizer with a 30-yard seed after a successful hidden ball trick.
On the defensive side, Bellinger had 27 total saves during the two games, including two at the end of regulation to stifle Washington and Lee's final offensive stand. Equally effective on the back end,
Colin DeGrassi had seven caused turnovers. Five of them came against Pfeiffer, which equaled the most in an NCAA Tournament game in school history.
Reaching a milestone on Sunday,
Brett Kelley collected his 50th caused turnover of the season, joining longtime stars Phoenix Hines, Brandon Moloney, and Max Wayne as the only Captains to hit that mark in program history. Meanwhile,
Rory Keverline has 25 takeaways this season. That is the second-highest total by a short-stick specialist in program history. He is just one shy of tying the all-time record set by former All-American and current assistant coach
Campbell Pozin, who had 26 strips as an SSDM in 2019.
Among other approaching milestones,
Jamie Smith leads the NCAA with 81 goals this season. That is just three shy of matching his own school record of 84 set last spring. He is also seven points shy of becoming just the fourth Captain to record 100 in a single campaign. In that exclusive club, he would join
Kevin Miller as well as former standouts Dylan Rice and Andrew Cook.
With their work last weekend, Miller and Smith also extended their historic scoring streaks. Smith has netted a goal in 39 straight games dating back to last year. That stands as the second-longest run in school history, just trailing Andrew Cook's 54-game streak from February 19, 2022 through April 13, 2024.
Meanwhile, Miller has recorded an assist in 44 straight games, which stands as the longest stretch by a Captain. Additionally, his 59 consecutive outings with at least one point is the second-best run on record, trailing Coby Auslander's 61-game roll from April 20, 2021 through March 30, 2024.
On the other side, Wesleyan enters the weekend after topping Ohio Northern, 19-4, last Saturday before upending Williams, 14-10, on Sunday. With those wins, the Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the seventh time in program history and their first trip since 2018.
Overall this season, Wesleyan has featured a well-balanced attack with eight double-digit goal-scorers. Will Miller leads the squad with 35 tallies, while Ben Burns has 33. Meanwhile, Gavin Lechner is tied for the team-lead with 47 points, and James Bailey has 21 assists.
On the defensive end, Conor Selfridge boasts a .498 save percentage and 9.40 goals-against-average. Three Cardinals also have at least 20 caused turnovers, including Joe Hurton, who leads the way with 32 strips. For his efforts, the junior LSM was named a third-team All-American by
USA Lacrosse Magazine. Bailey, Miller, and short-stick specialist Charlie Wilmot also earned national accolades from the publication on Wednesday.
Wesleyan and CNU have only met once in men's lacrosse with the Captains picking up a 21-8 triumph in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on May 15, 2022. No current players appeared in that contest, although fifth-year senior
John Santoro was on the roster for Christopher Newport, while current assistant coaches
Campbell Pozin and
Michael Brost saw sustained action in the game, which took place at Jennings Family Stadium.
---ISH---