NEWARK, Del. ? Junior midfielder Will Harrington tied a career high by scoring four goals and added an assist as the Tigers (6-7, 4-2) secured a berth in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament with a 10-8 victory over the University of Delaware (5-9, 2-3) at the Blue Hens' Rullo Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Harrington scored three of his four goals in the second half as the Tigers broke a 4-4 half-time tie en route to snapping their two-game losing streak.
“It was a huge game for us today,” Harrington said. “This was what we needed to do to have a chance at getting a number two seed [in the CAA Tournament].”
Harrington gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with 10:11 remaining in the first quarter when he scored an unassisted goal. After freshman attackman Grant Kaleikau tied the game with 3:19 remaining in the stanza, junior midfielder Pat Britton gave the Tigers a 2-1 advantage when he converted a Harrington feed for his 11th goal of the season.
After the teams opened the second quarter by trading goals, the Blue Hens took a 4-3 lead when junior midfielder Martin Cahill and senior midfielder Beau Davis scored back-to-back goals past junior goalkeeper Rob Wheeler.
But, the Tigers responded by scoring four straight goals, including a pair of Harrington markers, to take a 7-4 lead with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter.
With 53 seconds remaining in the third quarter, senior attackman Josh Coveleski ended a nearly 21-minute drought for the Blue Hens when scored an extra-man goal off an assist from junior attackman Curtis Dickson.
Just 11 seconds into the fourth quarter, Dickson narrowed the Delaware deficit to 7-6 when he scored off the opening face-off, which was won by freshman midfielder Dan Cooney. However, the Tigers responded 28 seconds later when senior attackman Bill McCutcheon scored off a feed from freshman attackman Matt Lamon.
Cahill scored with 4:30 remaining to close the margin to 8-7 before the Tigers sealed the victory with goals from McCutcheon and Harrington.
“This is a good win and a win we had to have, especially after last week,” Towson Coach Tony Seaman said. “As long as Harrington varies his shots, he's pretty good and he showed that today.”
With one second remaining, sophomore midfielder Kevin Kaminski scored his 13th goal of the season to cut the Tigers' advantage to 10-8.
While Harrington scored four goals with one assist, McCutcheon added two goals along with a goal and an assist from sophomore attackman Tim Stratton and senior midfielder Justin Schneider.
Wheeler made 13 saves for the Tigers, who were outshot by a 40-34 margin.
Cahill scored two goals in the loss for Delaware while Dickson added a goal with an assist, extending his point-scoring streak to 39 straight games.
The Tigers will close out their regular season home schedule on Wednesday night when they host ninth-ranked Johns Hopkins at Johnny Unitas® Stadium. Prior to the 7:30 p.m. face-off, the Tigers will honor their seven seniors.
Meanwhile, Delaware will travel to Drexel for the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
Goals: TOW ? Will Harrington 4, Bill McCutcheon 2, Tim Stratton 1, Justin Schneider 1, Pat Britton 1, Randall Cooper 1; DEL ? Martin Cahill 2, Curtis Dickson 1, Josh Coveleski 1, Grant Kaleikau 1, Kevin Kaminski 1, Justin Martinelli 1, Beau Davis 1. Assists: TOW ? Matt Lamon 2, Will Harrington 1, Justin Schneider 1, Tim Stratton 1; DEL ? Dan Cooney 1, Josh Coveleski 1, Curtis Dickson 1, Phil Rollins 1, Andrew Unthank 1. Saves: TOW ? Rob Wheeler 13 (60:00, 8 goals allowed); DEL ? Noah Fossner 8 (60:00, 10 goals allowed). Shots: TOW ? 34; DEL ? 40. Extra-Man Opportunities: TOW ? 2 for 6; DEL ? 2 for 2. Attendance: 1,094.
