Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

HEMPSTEAD, NY -- The University of Delaware men’s lacrosse squad will begin defense of its 2007 Colonial Athletic Association title Wednesday as the Blue Hens travel to Hofstra to take on the Pride in the CAA semifinals at 7 p.m. at Shuart Stadium.

Delaware (9-6, 3-3 CAA), coming off a 15-7 loss to Sacred Heart in its regular season finale Saturday, will be the No. 3 seed for the tournament and take on the No. 2 seed Pride (8-5, 5-1 CAA). The game will be broadcast live on UD student radio station WVUD 91.3 FM as well as on the internet at www.wvud.org.

In the other semifinal game, top seed and 11th ranked Drexel (12-3, 5-1 CAA) will host No. 4 seed Villanova (5-9, 3-3 CAA). The winners will meet in the CAA championship game Saturday, May 3, at 5 p.m. at the site of the highest remaining seed. The championship game will be televised live throughout the Northeast on CN8 Television.

The Hens, who have advanced to the CAA finals each of the last three seasons, were also the No. 3 seed last season when they swept by Drexel in the semifinals and Towson in the championship game - both on the road - to claim their first CAA title. Delaware then went on to down defending national champion Virginia 14-8 in the NCAA first round and UMBC 10-7 in the quarterfinals to advance to the NCAA semifinals for the first time in school history. Eventual national champion Johns Hopkins ended the Hens run there with an 8-3 victory.

Delaware has now qualified for the CAA Tournament five straight years and will be looking to capture the 23rd conference title in school history, which included competition in the East Coast Conference North Atlantic Conference, America East conference, and the CAA. The Hens lost to Villanova in the semifinals in 2004, fell to Towson in the finals in 2005, and lost to Hofstra in the championship game in 2006.

Hofstra has historically handled the Blue Hens at home, owning an all-time record of 10-3 vs. Delaware in Hempstead, NY with six straight wins, including an 11-8 win back on April 12 of this season. Delaware hasn’t won at Shuart Stadium since a 13-7 win in 1999. Hofstra has downed the Hens in Hempstead twice in post-season play, both in championship game action, with a 14-4 win in 2000 and a 12-6 victory in 2006.

Head coach Bob Shillinglaw’s Delaware squad is led by the high-scoring attack unit of Curtis Dickson, the leading scorer in the CAA with 44 goals and 16 assists for 50, and seniors Cam Howard (21 goals-22 assists), and Vincent Giordano (23-17). Sophomore Martin Cahill (29-9) leads the midfielders while senior goalkeeper Tom Scherr (at right), a two-time CAA All-Tournament selection, leads the defense with a 9.39 goals allowed average and a .571 save pct.

Hofstra, which went 5-1 at home this season, including a win over Johns Hopkins, features a balanced attack anchored by Anthony Muscarella (23-13), Tom Dooley (22-3), Jay Card (27-9), Dan Stein (17-10), and Michael Unterstein (13-12). Goalkeeper Danny Orlando has posted a 8.58 goals against average and a .472 save pct. The Pride won the CAA title in 2006 and was runner-up in 2002 and 2003.