University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Hosts No. 14 Villanova Saturday; Shillinglaw Seeks 300th Victory
3/4/2016 8:35:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware will play its second home game in five days Saturday following its long trip home from California as the Blue Hens take on No. 14 Villanova at 3 p.m. at Delaware Stadium.
The game will be the nightcap of a men's and women's doubleheader that will also feature the Delaware women (5-1) hosting Canisius (1-1) at 12 noon. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at the gate one hour before the game. One ticket is good for admission to both games
The Delaware men (1-4), who dropped a 10-7 decision to Michigan in the inaugural Orange County Winter Invitational Saturday in Costa Mesa, Calif, rebounded quickly and picked up their first win of the season Tuesday with a 14-6 victory over VMI at Delaware Stadium.
Delaware will have its hands full against a Villanova team that brings in a record of 2-1 following a 14-9 win over Drexel Tuesday. After a season-opening 13-12 loss to Harvard, the Wildcats bounced back with a 19-9 victory over Penn State and the win over Drexel. In the win over Penn State, Princeton transfer Jake Frocarro erupted for a school-record eight goals and now has a team-high 14 on the season. Another player to watch is faceoff specialist Luke Palmadesso, who leads the NCAA in groundballs (10.7 per game) and is No. 2 in faceoff winning percentage (.747).
The Blue Hens are led offensively by Paul Major and Romagnoli, who each have netted seven goals on the season. Defensively, freshman Austin Haynes leads the CAA in caused turnovers (1.75) and goalkeeper Parker Ferrigan ranks No. 3 in goals against average (8.59) while Sam Walsh is No. 3 in the league in faceoffs, winning 55.4 percent of his attempts.
The series between these two former CAA foes is tied at 10-10 but Delaware has won 7 of the 10 meetings at Delaware Stadium, including consecutive wins of 13-9 in 2012 and 11-9 in 2014. Villanova won last year's matchup on the Main Line by a 10-4 margin.
On Saturday Delaware will honor the memory of three men who had a big impact on UD lacrosse as the Hens celebrate Milt Roberts Day, Lee Levis Day, and Gary Celeste Day.
Roberts was the co-founder of the UD program and served as the Blue Hens' head coach in 1950-57. Roberts, who passed away in 1991, is a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame, and the UD Athletics Hall of Fame. A game Most Valuable Player Award named in his honor will be announced at the end of the game.
Delaware will also honor the memory of former UD standout player Lee Levis (1971-72) and former UD student and lacrosse fan Gary Celeste for whom UD scholarships are named.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129
