Boxscore / File Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The University of Delaware’s Pat Lombard (at right) scored a career-high four goals, but the Blue Hens could never catch up from a three-goal halftime deficit and dropped a 10-9 heartbreaker to host Fairfield Saturday in men’s lacrosse action.

Delaware (1-2), which dropped its second straight game after opening the season with a 13-2 win over Saint Joseph’s Feb. 7, rallied to pull to within one goal three times in the second half but could never gain the lead. Fairfield (1-0), looking to bounce back from a 4-9 mark a year ago, was playing its season opener.

Lombard, a junior attackman from Ambler, Pa. (LaSalle High School), doubled his previous high for goals in a game. He scored three times in the second half, including twice in the final quarter to lead the UD comeback. He scored with 38 seconds left to play to cut the Fairfield lead to 10-9 but the Hens could never tie it up in the frantic closing seconds.

Fairfield’s Steve Golment won the ensuing faceoff but had the ball knocked away by Tommy Lee with the Hens’ Martin Cahill recovering. Delaware’s Braedon Dennis then turned the ball over and the Stags ran out the clock for the win.

Fairfield defeated the Hens for the first time ever in four meetings after Delaware had won each of the previous three games by at least six goals.

Lombard led the Hens with four goals while All-American Curtis Dickson scored twice and Josh Coveleski and Beau Davis each dished out two assists. Noah Fossner recorded 11 saves in the nets for the Hens.

Dickson ran his 2009 goal total 11 and reached two milestones in the process, including scoring his 100th career point on his second goal of the game. He extended his point-scoring streak to 29 games and his goal-scoring streak to 28 straight, tying the UD mark of 28 set by Haylor Osborn in 1962-64 and by Randy Powers in 1983-84.

The 29-game point scoring streak is the sixth longest current streak in NCAA Division I. However, he was stopped short in becoming the first UD player to net a hat trick in the first three games of the season 2002 and the first to score at least four goals in his first three games of the season since 1950.

Nick Baglio scored three goals for the Stags while Brent Adams and Chris Ajemian each added two goals and an assist and John Snellman contributed two goals.

After Fairfield scored the game’s first two goals just 70 seconds apart midway through the first quarter, the Hens came back to tie it on goals by Lombard and Phil Rollins. But the Stags forged ahead by scoring four straight goals in the second quarter, including two by Snellman, to go up 6-2. Dickson’s goal just 59 seconds before halftime cut the lead to 6-3.

Delaware pulled to within one goal twice in the third quarter but could never gain the lead. Carter Bloor scored with 10:01 left in the third to pull UD to within 7-6, but Ajemian countered 45 seconds later for Fairfield.

A goal by Lombard with 3:17 left in the stanza cut the margin to 8-7, but Baglio scored twice for Fairfield in the final 2:40 of the quarter, including a man-up goal with 1:03 left, to send Fairfield up 10-7 into the final quarter.

The Hens rallied back as Lombard scored an unassisted goal with 11:34 left to play to cut the lead to 10-8 and scored again off a feed from Coveleski with 38 seconds remaining, before Fairfield held on for the win.

Delaware will continue play next Saturday, Feb. 28, when the Hens host Hartford at 1 p.m. at Rullo Stadium.

AGATE:

Delaware.....2.....1.....4.....2......9
Fairfield.......2.....4.....4.....0.....10

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Delaware - Pat Lombard, 4-0, Curtis Dickson, 2-0; Martin Cahill, 1-0; Carter Bloor, 1-0; Phil Rollins, 1-0; Josh Coveleski, 0-2; Beau Davis, 0-2; Fairfield - Nick Baglio, 3-0; Brent Adams, 2-1; Chris Ajemian, 2-1; John Snellman, 2-0; Dan Hettler, 1-1; Jeff Cilente, 0-1; Mike Esposito, 0-1; Kevin Peters, 0-1.

Shots: Delaware - 37, Fairfield - 42; Saves: Delaware - 11 (Noah Fossner), Fairfield - 14 (Charlie Cipriano); Groundballs: Delaware 31, Fairfield - 38; Turnovers: Delaware - 16, Fairfield - 22; Faceoffs: Delaware - 10, Fairfield - 12; Clears: Delaware - 18 of 22; Fairfield, 18 of 24; Extra Man Goals: Delaware - 0 for 0; Fairfield, 1 for 3; Penalties: Delaware - 3 for 2:30; Fairfield: 0 for 0; Attendance: 856