2008 Woodie Awards
Head to Head: Senior-led men's lacrosse team still isn't as strong as teams of recent past
by Brendan Reed
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: Sports
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They have been through it all in past years, both good and bad, finding joy with the success in a 2005 NCAA tournament berth and anguish in two Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship losses in 2004 and 2006.
If this group of heralded seniors is to cement any type of legacy in the minds of the Delaware lacrosse faithful, they need to find a way to get back to the NCAAs and make some noise. And, unfortunately, it isn't going to happen.
The problem with this team in the past has been its inability to pull everything together at the same time. In recent years, whether it is a stretch of poor play, injuries or a postseason snuff, the men's lacrosse team has never been able to have everything go its way when it needed it most.
In 2004, when the group of aforementioned seniors were only freshmen, Delaware advanced to the CAA postseason for the first time in school history. Villanova pummeled the Hens 15-6 in the CAA semifinals to end their season. Even though Delaware failed to make it to the NCAA tournament, the season was looked at as something on which to build.
The 2005 season was far and away the most successful year for the Hens in recent memory. Delaware won the CAA outright for the first time in school history and advanced to the NCAA tournament. But it was the way they got there that left room for improvement. The Hens accepted an at-large bid to play in the tournament after they lost in the championship game 9-8 at home to Towson - arguably the biggest game in school history at that point. Even though they advanced to the national tournament, the loss in the conference championship was a tough one.
It could be argued that last year the Hens did all they could to make a bid for the national tournament. Even though Delaware lost again in the CAA Tournament championship game, the Hens did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAAs, despite the fact its 12 wins were more than any other team who received an at-large bid.
Which brings us to this year. Factor in a sure win against Robert Morris on April 28 and the Hens will finish the season 9-5 (4-2). If 12 wins weren't enough to get Delaware into the tournament last year, nine certainly won't do it this year. The team must win the CAA tournament if they are to advance to the national tournament. Winning the CAA tournament means the Hens would have to face Towson or Drexel eventually, two teams the Hens lost to earlier in the season. Another factor to consider is that Delaware doesn't really have a respectable win this year. Although getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament doesn't necessarily mean knocking off a team like Duke or Virginia, it does require a win against a respectable squad. Wild finishes against the likes of 2-8 Sacred Heart or 5-6 Hofstra, Delaware's two previous opponents, aren't going to help either.
It would be ridiculous to say that Delaware doesn't have a chance, this is why the games are played. Seniors like Deckelbaum, Hall, Howard and Smith bring experience to the table, so you can never count them out. But if recent history is any tell, something is bound to trip the Hens up.
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