Just a few days separate the University of Delaware men’s lacrosse from its 2020 season opener when the Mountaineers of Mount St. Mary’s visit Delaware Stadium.
You won’t want to miss a second of the action with seven home games, including visits from teams such as Johns Hopkins and Michigan.
Here’s five things to look for this spring from the Blue Hens!
1) Taking The Next Step
It had been eight seasons since the Blue Hens made back-to-back trips to the CAA Tournament. That ended last spring when Delaware earned a second straight berth in the postseason.
It was a season that included the most wins since 2011, the highest winning pct. since 2007 and the most road wins since 2010.
“We’ve progressed each year, but ultimately, we came up short of some of the goals that we established going into last season. This year, we have to continue to work and understand what it takes to take that next step and not just make the postseason, but win in the postseason, win a conference championship. Those are the things that we are looking to take that next step and accomplish,” Head Coach Ben DeLuca said.
2) Shake + Bake
Last spring, the Blue Hens grabbed their first CAA Rookie of the Year since 2004 and first CAA Player of the Year since 2011 with the duo of Tye Kurtz and Charlie Kitchen taking home those accolades.
The duo combined for 116 points with Kurtz’s 52 setting a program record for a freshman. Kitchen enters his final season with the Blue Hens looking to climb into the top-10 all-time in several statistical categories.
Kitchen and Kurtz lead an offense that scored the most goals per game (11.7) since 1999 and return three of its top five scorers, as well as adding highly-touted freshman Mike Robinson from Canada to the mix.
3) The Netminder
It’s tough to miss senior goalie Matt DeLuca. His 6-6 frame has been a staple in net for the Blue Hens for the past three seasons and he’s on the path to becoming one of the all-time greats in program history.
Last year, DeLuca became the first Delaware player to earn All-American accolades since 2011 and this year, he earned two Preseason First Team All-American honors.
He ranked in the top-10 in the country in save percentage, goals against average and saves per game in 2019 and already ranks in the top-10 in program history in multiple categories.
“Matt is the anchor in the back and he’s been tremendous for us the past two years,” Coach DeLuca added. “The accolades and everything are great, but we’ve discussed that none of that means anything if you don’t go out and perform.”
4) Super Seniors
While the Blue Hens are loaded with a ton of talented underclassmen, the tone setters for the program are a core group of seniors, led by co-captains Matt DeLuca, Thomas Aloe and Jake Hervada.
Delaware has 12 student-athletes entering their final season this spring and have been through the ups and downs during their careers. The group will look to be the driving force in its final journey in Blue Hens uniforms.
“These guys have bought in and are committed to doing everything they can to take this team as far as possible. The road certainly hasn’t been easy for them, but they are grinders. They are willing to put their nose to the ground and work. That’s what’s going to make the difference as the season goes on,” DeLuca said.
5) WD > WS
Well done is better than well said. It’s a motto that embodies what DeLuca and his staff want their program to be known for.
“We’ve drawn the analogy a lot to the Whitney Athletic Center,” DeLuca said. “We had to somewhat tear things down and rebuild, at times, it could be ugly and messy, but what the outcome will ultimately be will have a much greater impact. These guys have really bought into keeping high standards and expectations whether it be in the classroom or stuff we’re doing in the community or at practice, the weight room, there’s a method and heightened sense of how things are done within our program.”
The proof is there with the Blue Hens posting the highest semester GPA in program history, reaching above a 3.0 for the first time. The Blue Hen Watch: Teammates for Life program has been established to partner current student-athletes with alumni mentors.
In addition, the Blue Hens continue to be highly active in the community, including a second annual clinic at the Ferris School this past fall.