Dickson Nets Eight as UD Beats Albany
from press release
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Martin Cahill scored three goals as No. 16 Delaware beat Albany 16-9 in Delaware Stadium. © Kevin P. Tucker |
NEWARK, Del. -- University of Delaware senior
Curtis Dickson was nearly unstoppable once again Saturday afternoon
as the All-American attackman exploded for a career-high eight
goals and dished out two assists as the No. 16 Blue Hens charged
past Albany in the final quarter for a 16-9 men's lacrosse
victory.
The game was the first played on the new FieldTurf surface at
Delaware Stadium where the Blue Hens (4-1) will play all their home
games this season. It was the Hens' first appearance in Delaware
Stadium since 1998.
It certainly looks like a good fit.
Delaware broke open a close game by scoring six straight goals in
a span of just over seven minutes in the final quarter to break
away from a 10-8 advantage and cruised to the win, their second
straight this season and fifth over Albany in the last six
meetings, avenging a 15-12 loss last year in New York.
Albany, off to an 0-3 start for the second time in three years but
a four-time NCAA Tournament qualifier since 2003, got a solid
effort Joe Resetarits, who scored three goals and dished out two
assists, but the Great Danes went over 10 minutes without a goal in
the final stanza and suffered the loss. Kyle Brunk added two goals
and an assist, Brian Caufield had a goal and two assists, and Matt
Johnson contributed a goal and an assist.
Dickson (Riverside/Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) wasn’t
the only Blue Hen who got in on the action as Martin Cahill scored
three goals, including two during the six-goal scoring spree in the
final quarter, Grant Kaleikau scored twice and dished out two
assists, and John Austin contributed a goal and an assist. The Hens
outshot Albany 44-29, held a 40-31 advantage in groundballs, and
forced 18 turnovers. Cahill’s hat trick was his fourth of the
season and 13th of his career.
Dickson, who earlier this season scored seven goals in a triple
overtime win over UMBC, upped his career-high to eight and didn't
even need the extra time. His eight goals were the most by a
Delaware player since USILA National Player of the Year John Grant
notched eight against Rutgers in 1998 and his 10 points were the
most by any UD player since Jason Lavey’s 10 against Hartford
in 2000.
Already the CAA’s all-time leading goal scorer, Dickson
increased his career goal total to 124 - second among active NCAA
Division I players - and scored a point for the 45th straight game,
just two shy of the Delaware record and the second longest active
streak in the country. He moved into the Top 10 all-time for points
at Delaware with 167 and recorded his 19th career-hat trick,
including his fourth this year.
Twice in Saturday’s game he scored back-to-back goals for
the Hens in quick succession, scoring twice in a span of eight
seconds midway through the third quarter - just one second shy of
the UD record for consecutive goals by the same player - and 11
seconds apart late in the second period.
Dickson scored four times in the opening half as the Hens took a
5-3 lead and scored two more in the third quarter as the Hens built
a 9-6 cushion. He opened the fourth quarter with his seventh goal
of the game to push the lead to 10-6, but Albany answered with
goals by Kyle Brunk and Mike Banks to cut the deficit to 10-8 with
10:54 left.
But the Hens took off from there as Cahill started a string of six
straight goals by the Hens to put the game away. Dickson scored his
eight goal at the 4:03 mark to push the lead to 12-8 and Mark
Steverson, Cahill, Chris Hichborn, and Grant Kaleikau scored in
succession in a
span of just under three minutes to put the game away.
The two teams played to a 1-1 tie after one quarter and Albany
gained what proved to be its last solo lead of the day on a man-up
goal by Brunk with 6:56 left in the second stanza. That lead
quickly vanished as the Hens scored the final three goals of the
half, including two by
Dickson in a span of 11 seconds and one by Kaleikau with 2:22 left
before halftime for a 5-3 Delaware lead.
Albany cut the lead to a single goal twice in the third quarter,
but each time Delaware answered with a goal of its own to increase
the lead. Brock scored for Albany with 5:57 left in the third
quarter to cut the Delaware lead to 8-6, but Cahill tallied with
just nine seconds
remaining in the quarter and Dickson scored four minutes into the
final stanza to push the lead back to 10-6.
