University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
Central Arkansas
Blue Hens Hold on for 1-0 Season-Opening Win Over Central Arkansas
8/28/2015 10:13:00 PM | Men's Soccer
NEWARK, Del. – It wasn't pretty, but the University of Delaware men's soccer team was able to pull out the victory with a 1-0 decision over the University of Central Arkansas Friday evening in the season lid-lifter at Stuart & Suzanne Grant Stadium.
Despite nine shots for the Blue Hens (1-0) in the first half, the halftime break featured a scoreless tie between the two teams.
Just five minutes into the second half, senior Ben Sampson (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) found junior All-American Guillermo Delgado (Tres Cantos, Spain/Jose Luis Sampedro), who netted his 13th career game-winning goal down the middle from eight yards out.
The Bears (0-1) had numerous opportunities to get on board in the second half, but were never able to get the tally.
Redshirt freshman Todd Morton (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) collected the win with one save.
Daltyn Knutson led UCA with three shots while Harrison Veith was credited with the loss despite four saves on the night.
“I'm delighted that we got the win. I think we had some good opportunities early on to put them away, but I give UCA a lot of credit. They hung in there and could have scored one or two at the end. When all is said and done, I'm happy with the 'W,' but we can improve. At times it was very sloppy, as you would expect in the first game of the season. We have to get better.”
Senior Ben Sampson
“We got the victory and that's all that matters in the end. After we scored the goal, our mentality shifted and they became very dangerous in the attack. The next five minutes are the most important and we're fortunate they didn't score a goal.”
Junior Guillermo Delgado
“We had a lot of shots, but they're not always going to go in, so we have to keep trying. In the end, we got the win and that's what we want. I thought the connections were good and some of our passes were good, but we have to get sharper. Overall, we had a good taste, but we can improve. We have to increase our communication.”
· Delaware outshot UCA, 12-5, and also held a 7-6 advantage in corner kicks.
· The Blue Hens are now 1-0 all-time against the Bears.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
· Sunday, August 30 – Fairfield at Delaware – 1 p.m. – Stuart & Suzanne Grant Stadium (Newark, Del.)
· Saturday, September 5 – Delaware at Villanova – 1 p.m. – Higgins Soccer Complex (Villanova, Pa.)
· Wednesday, September 9 – Delaware at Seton Hall – 7 p.m. – Owen T. Carroll Field (South Orange, N.J.)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Maggie Hayon | mhayon@udel.edu | O: 302-831-6389 | C: 920-912-6635
