University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Men's Lacrosse Looks to Keep Post-Season Hopes Alive Today at Penn State
4/19/2014 9:06:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The University of Delaware men's lacrosse squad will be looking to keep its post-season hopes alive today when the Blue Hens travel to Penn State for Colonial Athletic Association action at 1 p.m. at the Penn State Lacrosse Field.
Delaware (6-7, 0-3 CAA), which hits the road for the first since Apr. 1, will be looking to put an end to a two-game losing streak as the Hens take on a Penn State team that is 5-6 (1-2 CAA) and is receiving votes in the national top 20 polls. The Nittany Lions are coming off an 8-1 win over Towson last Saturday that snapped a three-game losing streak.
The Hens are coming off a 12-9 setback to Saint Joseph's last Saturday and will be returning to CAA action for the first time since a 9-7 setback to Drexel on Mar. 29.
The Hens need a win or a loss by Massachusetts to keep pace in the hunt for one of four CAA Tournament spots. Penn State is not eligible for the tournament this season due to its future move to the Big 10 Conference, but Delaware is looking to keep pace with Massachusetts for the fourth and final CAA playoff spot. UMass (7-4, 1-2 CAA) hosts league-leading Hofstra Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Delaware and Penn State will meet for the 25th time all-time with the Lions holding a 17-7 advantage, including three straight wins. Penn State won 13-7 last year at Delaware Stadium. The Hens are looking for their first win in the series since a 14-10 victory in 2010.
Dan Keane (21 goals), Brian Kormondy (15 goals, 10 assists), Jackson Finigan (7 goals, 13 assists), and Steve DeLargy (13 goals, 5 assists) lead the Blue Hen offense.
Keane has been red-hot of late, having scored 12 goals in the last three games with three straight hat tricks. With three or more goals vs. Penn State, he would become the first UD player to record four straight hat tricks since Curtis Dickson had six straight in 2010.
Tyler Barbarich ranks as one of the top faceoff specialists in the nation, winning 64.3 percent of his attempts. Seniors Trip Ashley and James Connelly lead the Blue Hen defense in front of goalkeeper Conor Peaks (9.22 GAA, .538 save pct.).
Penn State, an NCAA Tournament qualifier a year ago, owns some impressive wins this season, including victories over Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Towson. Among its losses were a 12-11 overtime setback to No. 1 ranked Loyola and a 13-12 triple overtime loss to Drexel.
The Lions are led offensively by Shane Sturgis (26 goals) and TJ Sanders (22 goals) and defensively by All-American goalkeeper Austin Kaut (9.04 GAA, .533 save pct.).
PSU and Delaware have played four common opponents in Ohio State, Villanova, Towson, and Drexel. The Lions are 2-2 against that group while Delaware is 1-3, including an 11-9 win over Villanova.
Delaware will close out its regular season next Friday, Apr. 25, when the Hens host Massachusetts for Senior Night at Delaware Stadium. Prior to the game, the Hens will honor its six seniors: Keane, Ashley, Connelly, midfielders Connor McRoy and Garrett Johnson, and goalkeeper Chris Herbert.
