Led by fourth-year head coach Ian Hennessy, the Blue Hens will open the season with four straight road games beginning with a trip to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. as they take on the Marist College Red Foxes of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) on Sept. 1. The Foxes and Hens will look to settle the score after playing to a 2-2 tie last season.

Hennessy’s squad will then travel to Annapolis, Md. to play in the Navy Tournament over the weekend of Sept. 4-6. Delaware is one of four teams in the tournament which includes Navy, UMBC and Saint Joseph’s. The Blue Hens will take on UMBC in the first game of the tournament on Sept. 4 followed by Navy vs. Saint Joseph’s that same night. Then on Sunday, Delaware will take on the host Navy and UMBC will square off with Saint Joseph’s.

The Delaware-Navy series dates back to 1942, but the two have only met 15 times in that span. The Midshipmen own a 9-4-2 advantage in the all-time series, but Delaware has won three of the last five with the other two games resulting in ties.

After the Navy Tournament, the Blue Hens will travel to West Long Branch to take on Monmouth in another rematch from last season. Delaware surrendered two second half goals in the 2-0 setback to a Hawk team that would go on to win its fourth straight Northeast Conference regular season crown and finish with an overall record of 12-3-3.

The Blue Hens will finally open the home schedule on Sept. 15 as they renew one of their longest-standing rivalries with Lehigh under the lights at the Delaware Mini Stadium after taking a one-year hiatus. The all-time series dates back to 1928, with Lehigh holding a 36-15-4 advantage and besting Delaware 1-0 in the last meeting in 2007.

Staying in Newark, Delaware will then take on another MAAC school in Rider on Sept. 18 before traveling to Philadelphia to play Saint Joseph’s of the Atlantic 10. Last season, the Blue Hens tied Rider 2-2 and lost a heartbreaker in overtime, 3-2, on their home field to Saint Joseph’s.

Delaware begins CAA play on the road at Norfolk as they take on perennial CAA powerhouse Old Dominion on Sept. 25. Following that game, the Hens complete their non-conference schedule as they host La Salle on Sept. 29.

Retrurning to CAA play, Delaware hosts James Madison (Oct. 3), Drexel (Oct. 7) and Hofstra (Oct. 10). The Hens played Drexel to a thrilling 3-3 tie last year on the Dragons’ home field. They came back on three separate occasions to tie the score as freshman Andrew Englehart’s goal with just four minutes left in regulation (his second goal of the night) forced overtime and the eventual tie.

Then Delaware travels to Fairfax on Oct. 14 to challenge last year’s CAA champion, George Mason. Last year, sophomore forward Courtney Hewitt scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 62nd minute as the Hens sent the Patriots home with a loss.

Mason would go on to make the CAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed and ultimately win the CAA championship and earn an NCAA Tournament berth. The Patriots defeated Penn in the first round 1-0 before falling to the eventual national champion, Maryland.

On Oct. 17, Delaware comes back home to take on another NCAA Tournament second-round team in William & Mary. The Tribe defeated Winthrop in the first round of NCAA’s before falling to the No. 1 seed and semifinalist, Wake Forest.

The Hens will then travel south to visit Towson on Oct. 21 and UNCW on Oct. 24 and then play host to Northeastern on Oct. 28. They go back on the road to play VCU on Oct. 31 in Richmond. Delaware earned its first ever program win over the Rams last year on Senior Night as freshman forward Andy Streilein scored the game’s only goal in overtime.

Finally, the Hens close out the season with a home game versus Georgia State on Nov. 3. CAA Championships are scheduled for Nov. 10-16 at a site to be determined.

Delaware is coming off a 3-13-3 (2-8-1 CAA) season and 12th place finish in the conference. The 2009 season looks promising however as the Hens return their top-five scorers from last season and their goalkeeper, junior Conrad Rusnak (at right). In 2008, Rusnak ranked third in the CAA in saves with 96 (5.05 saves per game).

AGATE:

Sept. 1 at Marist 7 p.m.; Sept. 4 vs. UMBC (Navy Tournament) 5 p.m.; Sept. 6 at Navy (Navy Tournament) 3:30 p.m.; Sept. 11 at Monmouth 3 p.m.; Sept. 15 vs. Lehigh 7 p.m.; Sept. 18 Rider 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 23 at Saint Joseph’s 7 p.m.; Sept. 25 at Old Dominion 7 p.m.; Sept. 29 vs. LaSalle 7 p.m.; Oct. 3 vs. James Madison 7 p.m.; Oct. 7 vs. Drexel 7 p.m.; Oct. 10 vs. Hofstra 10 a.m.; Oct. 14 at George Mason 7 p.m.; Oct. 17 vs. William & Mary 7 p.m.; Oct. 21 at Towson 3 p.m.; Oct. 24 at UNCW 7 p.m.; Oct. 28 vs. Northeastern 3 p.m.; Oct. 31 at VCU 7 p.m.; Nov. 3 vs. Georgia State 3 p.m.; Nov. 10-16 CAA Championships TBD.