By Andy Walter

Time didn’t stop in that moment.

But it definitely wasn’t in any hurry as the Delaware men’s lacrosse team ran off the final minute in its NCAA Tournament game at Georgetown last Saturday night.

With the game tied, the Blue Hens literally held their fortunes in their own hands. But, if they missed a last-second shot, the chance to stun No. 2 Hoyas might slip through their fingers.

“It seemed that time kind of slowed,” said Caesar Rodney High grad Demetrius Stevenson, a senior midfielder for the Hens. “But, when we were in the huddle, we were never thinking, ‘Oh what’s going to happen if we miss the shot?’ It was just the belief that we can do it, we can pull off the upset.”

Of course, Delaware did shock the Hoyas, winning 10-9 when J.P Ward rifled home the deciding goal with only eight seconds remaining.

For Stevenson, the dramatic comeback victory means he still gets to be a lacrosse player for a little while longer. The Hens face seventh-seeded Cornell on Sunday at noon in Columbus, Ohio in the NCAA quarterfinals (ESPN-U).

A reserve player in the two years since transferring from Rutgers, Stevenson has already decided to forgo his final year of eligibility to join the U.S. Army.
Stevenson — the only in-state player on the squad — said it’s been thrilling to have the Hens put together their current seven-game winning streak. They are just the third UD team to reach the NCAA quarterfinals.

“We’ve had a pretty up-and-down season,” said Stevenson. “We’ve been at the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I think it just shows the resiliency of our team.

“I don’t think our team ever lost faith. ... I think the biggest thing was what was our legacy going to be? We just had to have a really strong will to win. I think, with our backs against the wall, being able to rattle off seven straight wins just shows the character of the guys in the locker room.”

Most of Stevenson’s contributions this spring have been on the practice field. But he has scored three goals, including the last one in Delaware’s 20-8 win over Robert Morris in an NCAA play-in game last week.

Leaving lacrosse behind won’t be easy — he’s been playing it since he was in fourth grade. But joining the Army has been a long-time dream, too.

“It’s tough to realize that my career is coming to an end,” said Stevenson. “But also, what a way to go out.”

Indeed, that upset of Georgetown last Sunday will definitely go down as one of the highlights of his playing career.

“Standing there watching my teammates go out there and get the job done is huge,” said Stevenson, “especially being a senior and this being my last year playing lacrosse. It’s something really special. I couldn’t be prouder of our team being in the position that we’re in. It’s really unbelievable.

“We’re looking toward keeping it going.”

DelTech turns it around

The Delaware Tech softball team didn’t look like it was going anywhere when it started the Region 19 Tournament with a loss to Mercer County.

But once the Georgetown-based squad got its bats going, there was no stopping it.

DelTech reeled off three straight victories to win the regional title and earn a spot in the NJCAA Division II Softball National Tournament. DelTech will be making its second straight appearance in the tourney, which starts on Tuesday in Oxford, Alabama.

In its last two games, DelTech beat Mercer 14-1 and 18-0 while collecting 35 hits.

“We hadn’t played in two weeks, and we hadn’t seen live pitching in two weeks before we played the first game when Mercer beat us,” said DelTech coach Guy Wilkins. “Batting practice is totally different than seeing a ball out of a pitcher’s hands.

“Against Lackawanna (a 6-4 win) we had better swings, and the day we got rained out we started progressing. Then the championship game showed how good our team really is as far as hitting.”

Leading the way in the last two games were Delmarva Christian grad Kandice Schlabach (6-for-8, two two-run home runs, 5 RBI). Milford’s Macey Myers (6-for-8, three doubles, 5 RBI), Caesar Rodney’s Jada Courtney (5-for-7, two doubles, 4 RBI), Cape Henlopen’s Kaniah James (5-for-7, 5 RBI), Sussex Central’s Kylie Kruger (5-for-8, 4 RBI), and Laurel’s Logan Walls (5-for-9, 5 RBI).

DelTech also got good pitching as Lauren Smith and Carly Collins (Sussex Central) allowed just five hits and no earned runs over the last two games.

A year ago, DelTech won a game in the national tournament for the first time. Many of those same players are back this year.

“We have experience from last year, so we know what we are getting into,” Wilkins said. “I think that experience, and the better pitching we faced throughout the year, will help. I think we have a chance to make some noise.”

Notes

Former Delaware QB/receiver Joe Walker, now playing for the USFL’s Michigan Panthers, threw a 30-yard touchdown pass on a double forward pass. ... Another former Blue Hen quarterback, Cade Pribula, has transferred to Sacred Heart. He’d been a reserve at UD for the last couple years. ... The Wilmington University baseball team made it to an NCAA Division II regional for the 10th time but was eliminated with a pair of 6-2 losses. Caesar Rodney High grad Quintin Ivy led the Wildcats (31-13) in home runs (11), runs (53) and stolen bases (27) while batting .302. ... Interesting to note in photos from UD’s athletics banquet that basketball center Dylan Painter has his left foot in a boot while Andrew Carr — who is transferring to Wake Forest — was on hand for the event.

Sports editor Andy Walter can be reached at 302-741-8227 or walter@iniusa.org.
Follow on Twitter at @DSNSports.