File Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware women’s lacrosse team’s game vs. Towson this Thursday at 4 p.m. at Rullo Stadium will have plenty at stake.

The game, Delaware's final regular season contest, will determine if the Blue Hens win the regular season Colonial Athletic Association title and host the tournament or finish second behind the winner of the Old Dominion vs. William & Mary game being played at Old Dominion Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Fans can purchase tickets at the gate starting at 3 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for youth (17 & under) with UD students admitted free with a valid ID. The first 300 students will receive a free yellow Cockpit t-shirt and a spirit stick.

Delaware, Old Dominion and William & Mary all currently sit atop the CAA standings with records of 5-1. The Blue Hens control their own destiny as they hold the tiebreaker over Old Dominion and William & Mary, having beaten ODU 9-8 on Apr. 3 and William & Mary 15-11 on Apr. 5.

If Delaware defeats Towson (4-2) on Thursday, the Hens earn the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will host the four-team tournament at Rullo Stadium Apr. 30 and May 2. The winner of the ODU vs. William & Mary game would come in second place, the loser would be third, and Towson would take fourth place.

If Towson, who has secured a No. 4 spot no matter what the outcome Thursday, defeats Delaware, then the winner of the ODU vs. William & Mary game would earn the No. 1 seed and host the tournament. Delaware would finish second, the ODU vs. W&M loser would be third and Towson fourth.

The Blue Hens are 29-11 all-time against their long-time rival Towson, but 3-4 since both teams joined the CAA in 2002. Under head coach Kim Ciarrocca, Delaware is 2-2 against the Tigers.

In the last meeting between the two schools, Towson won on its home field, 15-10 on Mar. 30, 2008. The Tigers, who won last year’s CAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed, were the pre-season favorite to win the CAA again this year and were ranked No. 19 in the IWLCA Preseason Poll.

In CAA play, the Tigers have rattled off four straight wins, starting with Hofstra (the only CAA team to beat Delaware) and ending with James Madison. They have scored in double figures in all but three games this year, and scored a season-high 17 goals against Drexel on Apr. 12.

Meanwhile, Delaware has won its last two and five of its last six in CAA competition. The Blue Hens opened CAA play with a 9-8 thriller over Old Dominion in which freshman Stephanie Allen scored the winning goal with just two seconds left in regulation. Allen followed up that performance just two days later with an impressive six-goal day to lead the Hens past William & Mary, 15-11. She has emerged as one of the team’s most explosive offensive threats.

Senior captain Deb Sloan has also come on strong as of late for the Blue Hens after sitting out four games and seeing limited action in a few others due to a nagging back injury. Sloan is the reigning CAA Player of the Week for the week ending Apr. 19 and is coming off a career-high five-goal and one assist performance in the 14-8 UD win over George Mason this past Sunday. She is tied with junior attack Emily Schaknowski for the team lead in points with 27. She has scored a team-high 20 goals and is fourth on the team in assists with seven.

Delaware also features one of the top goalkeepers in the conference in senior Jessica Cerveny (at right). She leads the league in goals against average at 8.44 gaa, ranks second in save percentage at .502, and fourth in saves per game at 8.47.