Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/10/18
From Press Release
Prior to the Saturday’s season opener for the University of Delaware men’s lacrosse team, senior captain Will Hirschmann approached head coach Ben DeLuca and gave him one message, “let’s go get the first of many wins as a Blue Hen for you.”
Hirschmann’s play backed up that statement with the best performance of his career to lead the Blue Hens to a thrilling 16-12 win over a gritty Mount St. Mary’s squad at a rain soaked Delaware Stadium.
DeLuca was making his coaching debut after replacing the legendary Bob Shillinglaw.
“There was a lot of hard work that went into today’s win and I can’t say enough about our staff and everyone who prepared for today, but most importantly our guys deserved this win,” DeLuca said. “They fought so hard and really stepped up when they were challenged today. Words don’t express how proud I am of them.”
Hirschmann set career-highs in goals (4) and points (7) to lead a potent offense attack for Delaware. The Annapolis, Md. native was one of six Blue Hens with multi-goal performances, including freshman Peter St. Geme, who notched a hat trick in his collegiate debut. Sophomore Charlie Kitchen (St. Augustine Prep) had two goals and two assists for four points on the day.
Also, Jake Hervada (Haverford School) won 8 of 15 faceoffs, Joe Eisele (St. Augustine Prep) had two goals and an assist, Bryce Reid (Avon Grove) scored twice and Dean DiSimone (St. Augustine Prep) had a goal and an assist. Defensively, Austin Haynes (Moorestown) had four caused turnovers and two groundballs.
“We talked about staying composed and doing whatever it takes to get the win,” Hirschmann said. “We put a lot of work in this offseason and it’s a great start to have that work pay off with a win.”
After the teams traded possessions early, St. Geme got the scoring started when he took a pass from Hirschmann and fired it home for a 1-0 lead. The Mount responded back with a goal about a minute later, but Joe Eisele and Bryce Reid found the back of the net less than 40 seconds apart to give the Blue Hens a 3-1 lead after the first period.
The Mount would flex their muscles in the second scoring six goals in the first 10 minutes to grab a 7-3 advantage.
Delaware would grab momentum heading into halftime, scoring three goals in the final 1:47 of the half to make it a 7-6 game at the break.
Hirschmann scored less than 30 seconds into the third quarter to tie it up at 7-7, but once again, the Mount responded with two more goals to take a 9-7 lead. Kitchen and Reid would find the back of the net to tie things at 9-9 with 8:16 to play in the third.
The Blue Hens would score three of the game’s next four goals to take a 12-10 lead with 13:48 to play in the game. It was a lead Delaware would never relinquish.
Mount made it a one-goal game at 12-11, but back-to-back goals from Kitchen and Hirschmann would put the nail in the coffin en route to the 16-12.