NEWARK, DE -- The University of Delaware field hockey team rallied from a three-goal deficit against No. 10 Duke, only to fall, 5-3, on Saturday afternoon at Rullo Stadium.

Casey Howard (at right) notched her team-leading 11th goal of the season, while Tori Karsten and Michelle Drummonds also scored. However, the Hens’ second-half surge was not enough to overcome Marian Dickinson’s hat-trick for Duke.

The Hens showed a lot of resolve in the match after trailing 3-0 at halftime. Four minutes into the second half, Alexis Esbitt hit Michelle Drummonds on a perfectly placed pass to put Delaware (9-7) on the board.

Duke seemed poised to answer the score, breaking out on a 2-on-1 in the Delaware zone. Despite the man advantage, the Hens’ Rae Everson made a beautiful stop to break up the play and keep the deficit at two.

Just minutes later, Casey Howard stole a pass and raced into the Blue Devils' zone. One on one with Duke’s goalie Caitlin Williams, Howard made a great move and found the back of the cage to pull the Hens within one.

Less than a minute later, Delaware tied the game after Missy Woodie found Tori Karsten in front of the net for her eighth goal of the season.

With the score tied at three, Duke (10-6) quickly went on the attack. After receiving a penalty corner, the Blue Devil offense went back to work as Marian Dickinson scored her second goal of the game off a feed from Lauren Miller.

Thirteen minutes left in regulation, Dickinson capped the scoring with her third goal of the game off a pass from Laura Suchoski. She became the second player to record a hat-trick against the Hens in the last two games. Maryland’s Janneke van Leeuwen also accomplished the feat last Sunday.

In the first half, the teams battled to a 0-0 draw before Susan Ferger drilled home her fifth goal of the season in the 23rd minute. Dickinson added her first of the game less than four minutes later, while Camille Dagorn notched her second on the season right before halftime.

Duke outshot Delaware, 23-13, while the Devils also held a slim 10-9 advantage in penalty corners.

Nikki Rhoades posted a season-high nine saves for the Hens, while Caitlin Williams recorded six stops for Duke.

With the loss, the Hens fall to 0-6 all-time against the Blue Devils. Delaware also dropped its fifth straight match and seventh in the last nine after starting the season on a seven-game winning streak.

The Blue Hens return to action tomorrow at 12 noon when they travel to Villa Julie to take on the Towson Tigers.

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