University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
Fairfield (Alumni Night)
Blue Hens' Postseason Hopes Dashed in 10-5 Setback to Fairfield
4/29/2016 9:53:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
• Boxscore
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware men's lacrosse team needed a couple of breaks to extend its season Friday night.
Unfortunately the Blue Hens didn't get enough of them and finished out the 2016 campaign with a 10-5 Colonial Athletic Association setback to Fairfield at Delaware Stadium, narrowly missing out on a postseason berth.
Fairfield (8-7, 4-1 CAA) broke away from a 4-4 tie by scoring five straight goals to start the final quarter and moved on to the victory, dashing the Hens' hopes.
Delaware entered the night needing either a win over Fairfield or a loss by Drexel earlier in the evening to UMass to earn one of fourth berths in next week's CAA Tournament.
“We've obviously had some great teams here, but I'm not sure if I've ever had a team with the complete senior leadership that this group provided,” said Shillinglaw, who has led six teams to the NCAA Tournament. “This is a hard moment. The unity, the brotherhood that this group feels is just unbelievable. This is probably the closest group we've ever had. Those 11 guys, we love them. They are pretty special.”
Redshirt freshman attackman Andrew Romagnoli (at right above) led the Hens with two goals while senior midfielder Steve DeLargy added a goal and an assist and sophomore midfielder Dean DiSimone dished out three assists.
Fairfield got four goals from the CAA's leading scorer, freshman Colin Burke, while Nico Panepinto added two goals and two assists and Charlie Schnider and Joe Rodrigues each recorded a goal and an assist. Will Fox also secured 12 wins in 17 faceoff tries for the Stags.
Delaware managed only a season-low 13 groundballs and had its worst performance on faceoffs since the season opener, winning just 6 of 18 attempts. Fairfield outshot the Hens 35-33.
Fairfield took a 3-2 lead after one quarter on goals by Schnider, Jake Knostman, and Burke, but the Hens answered by scoring the only two goals of second quarter - a nifty behind the back score by freshman Campbell Parker off a feed from DiSimone with 12:02 left and a DeLargy score off another DiSimone helper with 2:58 remaining - to take a 4-3 lead advantage into intermission.
The Stags tied it up at 4-4 when Panepinto scored the only goal of the third stanza and Fairfield poured it on from there, scoring the first five goals of the final stanza to take a 9-4 lead. Panepinto's goal just 2:21 into the final quarter put Fairfield up for good.
Delaware finally ended a 31:15 scoring drought when Romagnoli scored with 1:43 remaining but it was too late. Fairfield later added an open net goal for the final margin.
HEN SCRATCHINGS:
• A season-high home crowd of 1,149 was on hand as Delaware celebrated Alumni Night
• Romagnoli finished his freshman season with 21 goals, the most by a UD rookie since Sean Finegan scored 21 during the 2011 season
• Delaware failed to advance to the CAA Tournament for the second straight year while Fairfield posted the top league mark in the CAA for the second straight year. If Hofstra defeats Towson on Saturday, Fairfield will host the four-team CAA Tournament May 5-7 in Fairfield, Conn.
• Delaware's DiSimone and leading scorer Paul Major (24) each had a five-game goal-scoring streak snapped
AGATE:
Fairfield........3....0....1....6.....10
Delaware......2.....2....0....1....5
Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists)
Fairfield - Colin Burke, 4-0; Nico Panepinto, 2-2; Charlie Schnider, 1-1; Joe Rodrigues, 1-1; TJ Neubauer, 1-0; Jake Knostman, 1-0; Conor Dalton, 0-2; Charlie Horning, 0-1.
Delaware - Andrew Romagnoli, 2-0; Steve DeLargy, 1-1; Connor Frisina, 1-0; Campbell Parker, 1-0; Dean DiSimone, 0-3.
Shots: F - 35, D- 33; Saves: F - 12 (Tyler Behring), D - 5 (Parker Ferrigan); Groundballs: F - 29, D - 13; Turnovers: F - 15, D - 11; Faceoffs: F - 12, D - 6; Clears: F - 13 of 13, D - 19 of 21; Penalties: F - 4 for 3:00, D - 7 for 5:30; Extra Man Goals: F - 2 for 7, D - 1 for 4; Attendance: 1,149.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129
