Delaware men’s lacrosse has been the class of the Colonial Athletic Association all season, using the nation’s 13th-ranked offense led by Charlie Kitchen, Mike Robinson and Tye Kurtz to rise to the top of the conference standings.

However, the Blue Hens tied a season-low in goals in a Friday night matchup with UMass — a number only reached in a loss to Drexel. Delaware had to turn to its defense, and goalie Matt Kilkeary, if it wanted to end its regular season with a seventh CAA win.

Kilkeary and the Blue Hens defense held the Minutemen scoreless throughout the second half en route to a 9-6 win at Delaware Stadium. The home teams scored the game’s final five goals, with Mark Bieda chipping in two tallies during the second-half run.

Delaware’s win set the CAA record for most conference victories in a single season, clinching the top seed in the coming conference tournament.

After Mike Robinson score two of his three goals to start the game, UMass put together a four-goal run thanks to Kevin Tobin (two goals) and Devin Spencer (one goal, one assist). The two teams traded goals before halftime, when the Minutemen led 6-4.

Kilkeary made eight of his 13 saves in the second-half shutout, and the Blue Hens tallied 11 caused turnovers to preserve the lead. Grant Owen and Tate Wasson each had two caused turnovers.

Delaware defense just suffocating. @DelawareMLAX holds @UMassMLacrosse scoreless in the second half en route to a 9-6 win. pic.twitter.com/koInUGzwa1

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) April 30, 2021

Late Surge Fuels Hofstra

Hofstra trailed by four goals to Fairfield midway through the third quarter in a must-win game, with hopes of a CAA tournament berth potentially hanging in the balance. Ryan Tierney had not scored, and the Stags' Dylan Beckwith had already tallied a hat trick.

Suddenly, the Pride offense came alive. Justin Lynskey cut the deficit to three goals before Hofstra dropped three goals in a span of 56 seconds to end the third quarter, kickstarting a run of nine out of 10 goals to help clinch an 18-14 Pride victory. Tierney finished with three goals and three assists, four of those points coming in the final 16 minutes of the game, while Dylan McIntosh dropped four goals.

Hofstra moves to 4-4 in CAA play, tied with UMass for the fourth spot in the conference tournament. Coach Seth Tierney and his team will need a Drexel win over Towson on Saturday to maintain its place in the CAA tournament.

"Brian Voelker is my college roommate. We were in each other's wedding party. And we will be hard Drexel fans tomorrow." @HofstraMLAX coach @TierneySeth on needing a @DrexelMLax win Saturday vs. Towson to guarantee the Pride's spot in the @CAASports tournament https://t.co/vFirgqFXsH pic.twitter.com/rsDC75zvgo

— Lax Sports Network (@LaxSportsNet) May 1, 2021

MAAC Tournament Chaos

Matt Vavonese stood in the crease and watched as Marist’s Jason Intermesoli cut past GLE and headed toward the cage. Seconds remained in the MAAC quarterfinal and Canisius held the one-goal lead.

With two seconds left, Intermesoli leaped toward the crease in an attempt to tie the score on a dive, providing the opportunity for either a season-saving goal or save.

Vavonese was ready. He went to his knees, halted Intermesoli’s shot and immediately headed toward the sideline to celebrate Canisius’ 14-13 victory in the MAAC quarterfinals. The win sets up a meeting with top-seeded Manhattan on Wednesday.

WHAT AN ENDING.

Matt Vavonese makes the save on a diving shot at the buzzer to seal @GriffsMLax’s MAAC tournament win over @Marist_MensLax. pic.twitter.com/XGVVLf08xx

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) April 30, 2021

Jamison Embury had a career-high four goals and three assists for Marist, which finishes its season at 3-1 after an extended COVID-19 pause mandated by the university.

Canisius led 13-7 midway through the third quarter, but a four-goal Marist run made the final minutes frantic. JoJo Pirreca and Hunter Embury each had two goals to help the Red Foxes score six of the final seven goals.

Also in the MAAC tournament:

• Cade Stratton got a beautiful skip pass from Connor Macrae and scored the game-winning goal with 40 seconds left to clinch Monmouth’s 12-11 victory over Sienda, allowing the second-seeded Hawks to avoid the upset bid. Stratton and Max Brooks each had three goals to lead Monmouth, while Matt Soutar won 18 of 25 faceoffs.

• St. Bonaventure used a big first quarter to clinch its first conference tournament win in school history, downing Detroit Mercy 11-8 in the MAAC quarters. Jake Rosa, Nick Slattery and Sean Westley each had two goals in the Bonnies’ historic win.

Army Clinches North Division

Brendan Nichtern tied a career-high with eight points on three goals and five assists to lead Army to the 13-11 victory over Colgate on Friday afternoon. With the victory, the Black Knights clinched the Patriot League North Division and the second seed in the conference tournament.

The big effort on offense comes less than a week after Army was held to four goals in the rivalry game loss to Navy. Wyatt Schupler tallied 13 saves to help lead the Black Knights defense, while Kyle Beyer had three caused turnovers.

Colgate stuck with Army throughout the second half, aided by a three-goal run coming out of halftime. The Raiders had four different players tally multiple goals.

"Today was a big one for us," Nichtern said in a press release. "Specifically for the offense, it was important we found our groove going into the tournament. We had an awesome week of practice, just playing with an unselfish mentality and playing with constant ball movement. Playing in a close fourth quarter game will give us experience in that situation because we will be there in one of our upcoming games."

NIKE/US LACROSSE TOP 20

No. 10 Army 13, Colgate 11
No. 12 Delaware 9, UMass 6

OTHER SCORES

Canisius 14, Marist 13
Hofstra 18, Fairfield 14
Marquette 15, St. John’s 14
Monmouth 12, Siena 11
St. Bonaventure 11, Detroit Mercy 8
Saint Joseph’s 14, Wagner 7