Delgado?s Two Goals Lift Delaware to CAA Men's Soccer Quarterfinal Victory Over UNCW

Saturday, November 7

Stuart & Suzanne Grant Stadium

7:00 PM

University of Delaware

UNCW

Delgado?s Two Goals Lift Delaware to CAA Men's Soccer Quarterfinal Victory Over UNCW

11/7/2015 9:54:00 PM | Men's Soccer

By: Delaware Athletics

• Boxscore

NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware men's soccer team is headed back to the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals.

Thanks to two goals from All-American Guillermo Delgado (Tres Cantos, Spain), two assists from Thomas de Villardi (Vincennes, Francs), and the first career goal from Soren Frost (Lebanon, Pa./below left), the No. 3 seed Blue Hens extended their unbeaten string to seven games with a 3-1 victory over No. 6 seed UNCW Saturday evening in the CAA quarterfinals at Stuart & Suzanne Grant Stadium.

Delaware (10-6-3) broke away from a 1-1 halftime lead with a big second half and now moves on to the CAA semifinals where the Hens will take on No. 2 seed Elon this Friday, Nov. 13 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

Ian Hennessy. “But they did have a couple in the second half. After we scored that second goal, I thought the game was over and we managed it very well. We're coming together at the right time and we're back to being ourselves."

The Hens, the CAA preseason favorite, have now outscored their opponents 21-7 in going 6-0-1 since an Oct. 10 loss at Hofstra. UNCW (8-8-3) finished its season with four straight losses since a 1-1 tie with Delaware back on Oct. 25 at Grant Stadium.

Delgado upped his season goal total to 10 and his career sum to 37 to move into second place on the all-time Delaware scoring list past John McCloskey (1975-78). He scored 13:24 into the match to give the Hens a 1-0 lead and gave UD some insurance with his second tally with 19:12 left to play.

"We know that as long as we defend tightly and be strong as a team, we're going to have opportunities,” said Delgado. “We have a lot of speed and quality on top and with the people coming off the bench like Dani (Laguna) we have even more. Sometimes things are favorable for you, sometimes they're not. But then on the other side, when you get a win, it just rolls on and rolls on like a snowball."

Delgado scored his first goal from eight yards out off assists from Nick DiRienzo (Hockessin, Del.) and de Villardi but UNCW tied the game on a goal by Brayden Smith with 9:01 left in the opening half

to send the game into halftime tied 1-1. Smith scored from two yards out after a scramble in front of the net following a corner kick.

The second half belonged to the Hens as Delaware took the lead for good at 2-1 when Frost, a freshman, scored his first career goal from four yards out after a scramble in front of the net off a corner kick just 11 minutes into the stanza. Ben Sampson and de Villardi were responsible for the assists.

Delaware then put the game away with 19:12 remaining when Robert Gillin won the ball in the backfield and passed ahead to de Villardi who found Laguna racing up the middle. Laguna made a move and passed to Delgado to his left. The junior then finished from 12 yards out, knocking the ball off UNCW goalkeeper Todd Melvin and into the far right corner of the net.

HEN SCRATCHINGS:
• Delaware has now reached the double-figure win mark for the third straight year and for the fourth time in the last five seasons
• Delaware goalkeeper Todd Morton (at right) had three saves to notch the win
• de Villardi has a team-high nine assists on the season and has dished at least one in six of the last seven games
• Delaware is now 5-9-1 all-time vs. UNCW but the Hens are 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings
• Delaware fell to then No. 8 ranked Elon 1-0 back on Sept. 26 at Grant Stadium
• The Hens are 5-2-1 at home this season

AGATE:

UNCW........1.....0.....1
Delaware....1.....2.....3

Scoring Summary: 1st Half - D - Guillermo Delgado (Nick DiRienzo, Thomas de Villardi), 13:24 into game; UNCW - Brayden Smith (unassisted), 35:59; 2nd Half - D - Soren Frost (Thomas de Villardi, Ben Sampson); D - Guillermo Delgado (Daniel Laguna), 70:48.

Shots: UNCW - 9, D - 13; Corner Kicks: UNCW - 6, D - 6; Saves: UNCW - 3 (Sean Melvin), D - 3 (Todd Morton); Fouls: UNCW - 4, D - 7; Attendance: 1,125.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129