No. 20 Delaware Downs William & Mary, 3-1

Sunday, October 17

Newark, DE

1:00 p.m.

University of Delaware

(8-7 (4-1CAA))

William & Mary

(3-9 (3-2CAA))

Delaware

Photo by: Mark Campbell

10/17/2021 3:19:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

NEWARK, Del. - In a Colonial Athletic Association Sunday showdown, it was No. 20 Delaware (8-7, 4-1 CAA) that downed William & Mary (3-9, 3-2 CAA), 3-1, clinching a spot in the 2021 CAA Field Hockey Championship.

"A great and fun day for UDFH. The team qualified for the CAA Tournament and improved its possession passing today," said head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof. "I am proud of how our team started and excited for them scoring two quality goals early on in the first quarter. We made some changes in our line-up and player assignments resulting in us playing much better Delaware hockey today than we displayed on Friday.

In the third minute of the game junior Morgan Rigual got the Blue Hens on the board early, chipping in a goal on a pass from Femke Strien.

Two minutes later, Julia Duffhuis scored on a corner, with assists from Strien and Grace Miller, to give Delaware a two-goal lead in the first quarter. Duffhuis now has 11 goals on the season, good for 23 points.

Both teams went scoreless in the second quarter with only three shots taken during the period between the teams.

After halftime, freshman Morgan Bradford scored her first career goal on a pass from Strien from five yards out on the left side of the goal, giving the Blue Hens a 3-0 lead. Strien tallied three assists on the day.

William & Mary scored the final goal of the game in the third quarter not even two minutes after Bradford's goal to make the final score 3-1.

Delaware out-shot the Tribe 20-6, taking 13 shots on goal. The Blue Hens took 12 shots in the third period alone. Delaware had a 10-8 edge in penalty corners.

"Aside from our win over William & Mary, today was very special for our program as we welcomed many UDFH alumni and alumni parents. In addition to our Family & Friends Weekend, having the alumni back was an amazing and joyful experience for all. It was so great to see current and former Blue Hen players and parents interacting with each other. I would like to say 'Thank You' to everyone that came out and to those who make Delaware field hockey a special place for so many!"

The Blue and Gold return to action Sunday, Oct. 24 to host Penn for Senior Day at 1 p.m.

For the latest on the Delaware field hockey program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @DelawareFH and Instagram @Delaware_FH and like "Delaware Field Hockey" on Facebook.