Delaware, which was joined in the preseason top 20 by CAA rivals Towson University, at No. 11, and Drexel University, at No. 20, will open the 2008 season Feb. 9 at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. The Hens' home opener will be played Feb. 23 against Marist College at Rullo Stadium.
Duke University, the 2007 national runner-up, earned the top spot in the preseason poll and was followed by Virginia, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Princeton, Cornell, Maryland, Syracuse, North Carolina, Towson, Albany, Delaware, Massachusetts, Colgate, Bucknell, Navy, Ohio State, Yale and Drexel.
The Hens, led by Head Coach Bob Shillinglaw, return five starters from the 2007 team that went 13-6 and captured the CAA title. That team defeated Virginia and the University of Maryland Baltimore County in the NCAA tournament to advance to the semifinals, where the Hens fell to the eventual national champion, Johns Hopkins.
The Hens return standout senior goalkeeper Tommy Scherr, defenders Patrick Biehl and Evan Crowther-Washburn, and scoring standouts Curtis Dickson (21 goals), Vincent Giordano (16 goals) and Kevin Kaminski (16 goals). The Hens will also welcome back senior attackman Cam Howard, who missed all but two games last season with a knee injury. He has scored 62 career goals and is expected to be among the nation's top offensive players this spring.
Delaware must replace its top three scorers, All-America selections Jordan Hall and Dan Deckelbaum and All-CAA selection Adam Zuder-Havens, as well as Alex Smith, the all-time NCAA face-off leader, three-time All-American and 2007 Major League Lacrosse rookie of the year.
For more information on UD athletics, see [www.udel.edu/sportsinfo].
