Delaware Set for Saturday Night Showdown with UNC Wilmington
October 29, 2010
File Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
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NEWARK, Del. - - With its playoff hopes in hand, the University of Delaware men’s soccer team is set to take on the visiting Seahawks of UNC Wilmington Saturday night at Delaware Mini Stadium, beginning at 7 p.m.
Fans unable to attend the game can follow the action with a live statistical feed.
With all the teams in the conference still alive in the playoff hunt and two games left in the regular season, it’s anybody’s spot to take.
William & Mary sits atop the CAA with 22 points, followed by Hofstra (14) and a three-way tie for third at 13 points between Virginia Commonwealth University, UNC Wilmington and Georgia State. Northeastern has 12 points, with Delaware, Old Dominion and George Mason nipping at the Huskies heels with 11 each. Down but not out, James Madison has 10, Drexel has 9 and Towson has 8.
Delaware continues to fight for the ever-important fourth place spot in the Colonial Athletic Association standings. The Hens (4-8-3, 3-4-2) picked up another three points Wednesday night when they defeated Towson 1-0. Senior Jon Scheer tallied the game-winner for the third time this season, snapping a 12-year winless drought against the Tigers.
Scheer (at right) leads a balanced scoring team in points with eight, scoring four goals. Evans Frimpong is in second with seven on three goals and an assist while Kyle Ellis leads the squad in assists with five. He also has one goal for seven points. Mike White and Demar Stephenson each have four points on two goals apiece.
On Wednesday, Brandon Paul earned his first shutout of the season, and Delaware’s fourth, making six saves and shutting down the league’s top scorer, Marco Mangione. Paul has made 26 saves this season, just behind Kris Devaux’s 28.
Delaware is one of the league’s heaviest shooting teams, taking 233 attempts for a CAA second-best 15.53 per game. The Blue Hens also do a solid job of staying onsides, having only been called off 24 times this season, ranking them tied for second in the league at 1.60 per game.
One goal may make all the difference in Saturday’s game. Both teams average just over one goal per game, with Delaware tallying 1.07 while the Seahawks post 1.06.
UNC Wilmington is currently ranked No. 37 in this week’s TopDrawerSoccer.com poll. The Seahawks (7-5-4, 3-2-4) have done just enough to keep themselves in the playoff hunt, picking up four points on ties this season, as well as nine points on victories.
The Seahawks come to Newark riding a rough patch, having tied four of their last six games, bookended by a pair of losses, including a 1-0 decision at No. 12 William & Mary.
UNCW has had difficulty finding the goal as of late. Three of the ties have ended with 0-0 scores, with the most recent markers coming in a 2-2 draw with Towson on Oct. 23.
Etienne Boulanger is the team’s top point-getter, scoring five goals, three of which are game-winners, and has one assist for 11 points. Nassim Berhouni has six points on three goals while Thomas Driver has scored once and has two assists for four points.
Between the pipes, Brock Duckworth has played the majority of the time, seeing 1,141 minutes of action. He has allowed just nine goals and has one of the CAA’s best save percentages of .800, ranking him fifth. He sits atop the league in shutouts (6) and second in goals against (.71).
On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks have a stout defense, allowing only .64 goals per game. They have allowed just 179 shots this season, 71 of which are on goal (39.7 percent). As a team, UNCW is first in the CAA in shutouts, totaling eight.
Saturday’s game will be challenge for the Blue Hens as UNC Wilmington holds an 8-0 advantage in the series. Last season, Delaware was narrowly edged out 2-1 in North Carolina. Another challenge for the Hens will be multiple goals, as the Seahawks have never allowed more than one goal in the series, but Delaware has scored once in each of the last two contests.
