Delaware Dominates Towson, 5-0, for Van de Kerkhof?s 100th Career Victory

Friday, October 11

Rullo Stadium

7:00 PM

University of Delaware

Towson

Delaware Dominates Towson, 5-0, for Van de Kerkhof?s 100th Career Victory

10/11/2013 10:21:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

By: Delaware Athletics

NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware field hockey team finished strong Friday evening as the Blue Hens scored four goals in the second half en route to a 5-0 Colonial Athletic Association victory over Towson University on a rainy night at Rullo Stadium.

Rolf van de Kerkhof collected his 100^th career win and moved to 28-28 with the Blue Hens.

Senior Clare O'Malley (Summit, N.J.) put the Hens (9-3; 3-0 CAA) on board first, with a goal from just inside the top of the circle in the ninth minute.

Freshman Esmée Peet (Zeewolde, The Netherlands) and senior Toni Popinko (Oxford, N.J.) gave Delaware an extra nudge as each scored two goals in the second half of play.

With the loss, Towson falls to 1-12 on the season and 0-3 in league play.

Rolf van de Kerkhof– “The rain didn't affect the game at all as it was nice and cool for the players and the turf was beautifully wet. We executed our game plan very well tonight and with some corrections at halftime, we really stepped things up in the second half. Ultimately, what was very important for us today was that everybody got quality minutes, which in turn allows us to grow as a program. We played great team defense and everybody along the way did what she was suppose to do.

Senior Toni Popinko – “It felt good to score those two goals tonight. We passed well, possessed the ball well and things just fell into place. Everybody worked really well together tonight and we definitely executed our game plan.

Freshman Esmée Peet – “I think the field was a little bit slower, but our ball speeds were really good, so I don't think the rain affected the game a lot. Personally, it was like in the Netherlands as we always have rain there, so I felt at home. We've been practicing a lot lately on penalty corners and we executed those well tonight. It was a great team performance and a lot of players were able to get into the game today.”

Rolf van de Kerkhof picked up his 100^th career win with tonight's victory. In eight total seasons at Delaware and Michigan State, van de Kerkhof is 100-58 (.633) all-time. He is 28-28 in his tenure with the Blue Hens.
     · Delaware is 81-60 (.574) all-time at Rullo Stadium and has won seven consecutive games at home, tying the longest winning streak at Rullo Stadium, which was set in 1998.
     · The last time the Hens started CAA play 3-0 was 2009, when UD opened 4-0 en route to the CAA title.
     · Delaware outshot Towson, 24-0, on the night. The last time UD held an opponent without a shot was Oct. 7, 2001 when the Hens defeated Vermont, 2-0, and outshot the Catamounts, 12-0.
     · UD has posted three shutouts this season, including two in the past three contests.
     · With the win, UD won its third straight over the Tigers and moved to 31-5-1 all-time against Towson.
     · Delaware alumnus Carly 'Campana' Powell '05 is in her first season as the head coach at Towson. Powell was a midfielder for the 2004 CAA Championship squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. She was also an assistant coach for the Blue Hens under Carol Miller during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
     · Freshman Esmée Peet recorded the second multi-goal game of the season. She also scored two goals against Central Michigan on Sept. 6.
     · Peet is second on the team with six goals.
     · Dating to last season, senior goalie Sarah Scher has started 17 straight games for the Hens. She is 13^th in Delaware history with 141 career saves.
     · Senior Toni Popinko tied a career-best two goals, a mark previously set against Towson on Oct. 21, 2012.
     · Freshman Meghan Winesett leads the team with six assists. Tonight's game was her first multiple assist match.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
     · Sunday, Oct. 13 – #9 Princeton at Delaware, 1 p.m., Rullo Stadium
     · Sunday, Oct. 20 – Delaware at Columbia, 1 p.m., Columbia Field Hockey Venue (New York, N.Y.)
     · Friday, Oct. 25 – Delaware at Hofstra – 3 p.m. – Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium (Hempstead, N.Y.)