Men's lax upsets Hofstra, advances in playoffs

HEMPSTEAD, NY -- Delaware's offense and defense picked the right time to wake up from their slump.

Despite carrying a two-game losing streak into Wednesday's semifinal matchup, the Hens managed to upset No. 1 seed Hofstra 10-9 on a rainy night at James M. Shuart Stadium on Long Island.

"The team took an attitude, a clean slate," head coach Bob Shillinglaw said. "Nothing to lose, everything to gain. Play loose, play hard and see what results we can get."

The result now gives the Hens a chance to defend its CAA tournament championship and earn their second-straight NCAA tournament berth. Delaware (10-6) will travel to Massachusetts Saturday night to face third seed UMass (10-4) who upset second-seeded Penn State 10-9 in overtime on Wednesday.

Delaware beat the Pride for the second time this season. The Hens are the only team to record wins over Hofstra (13-2) in 2011.

They scored more goals tonight than they had in the past two games combined, an embarrassing 13-3 loss to Penn State on senior night in Newark and an 11-5 decision last Saturday at UMass.

"The last two games we didn't show what we wanted to show," junior attacker Grant Kaleikau said. "We didn't send our seniors out the right way. To still be able to defend the championship, it's huge."

Delaware almost let that chance slip away in the game's waning moments. A three-goal lead with a minute to go suddenly turned into a one-goal cushion with 44 seconds still on the clock.

Ian Braddish and Kevin Ford had two chances to equalize for the Pride within the final 30 seconds. Senior goalie Noah Fossner kept both of them out.

Fossner turned the ball over behind the Delaware goal after a check by one of Hofstra's star attackers Jay Card. A scramble in front of the goalmouth ensued, but Fossner and his defenders kept the ball out.

"You don't want to let the rest of the team down, so you got to make a play," Fossner said. "I was fortunate to make a play."

Eric Smith had his third hat trick of the season for Delaware. Kevin Kaminski chipped in two goals, and Nick Diachenko, John Mills, Sean Finegan, Taylor Burns and Garrett Johnson each had one to round out the scoring. Johnson's goal was his first of the season.

The Hens trailed 2-1 early in the first quarter. Hofstra led in time of possession with Delaware's only foray into opposing territory coming when Johnson scored his goal off a breakaway.

Delaware then reeled off four straight goals, including one in which Smith beat the first-quarter buzzer by two seconds to end the first half while Fossner kept the Pride off the board until the third quarter.

"Noah did a great job in the cage and then gave us some opportunities at the offensive end," Shillinglaw said. "We started clicking at that point."

But Hofstra kept coming back. The Pride brought the deficit to 7-5 and then 8-7 with 8:55 left in the fourth.

Finegan stopped the rally with his first goal since at Saint Joseph's three weeks ago. It was off a pass from Kaleikau ,who tied his career high with five assists.

Kaminski's empty netter with 2:35 left looked to seal it, but Hofstra again came back during the hectic final moments.

"Thirty seconds of chaos, but you try not to think about it and just focus on the ball," Fossner said about the Pride's final charge.

Kevin Ford had five goals for the Pride. Delaware was able to keep Hofstra's high-scoring duo of Card and Jamie Lincoln off the scoreboard for the most part, the two combined for three goals.

"Our coaches did a great job of pretty much diagramming what they were going to do all week long," sophomore defender Connor Fitzgerald said. "Our scout team gave us a great view of how exactly every formation they were going to run."

Steven DeNapoli notched the other goal for the Pride. Braddish had two assists but was held goalless.

"We were coming in here pretty scared with the type of offensive players they have," Shillinglaw said. "We're excited to come out with a 10-9 win."

Delaware avenged its first round loss to the Pride in Hempstead in 2008. The Hens can punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament with a win Saturday. They most likely have no chance at an at-large bid, so the CAA championship is their only hope.

This victory may have eliminated the Hens' bitter rival's postseason dreams. Hofstra, despite its record, must sweat it out on selection Sunday to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

"The best feeling in the world," Fitzgerald said of this win. "Especially against Hofstra."