In a season that has seen the No. 14/15 Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team dominate the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), it will now return home looking to bag another win.

After dispatching Monmouth last weekend, the Delaware Blue Hens (8-3, 1-2 CAA) are the next team in line to challenge the CAA-leading Seawolves (9-2, 4-0 CAA). On Saturday, the two squads will square off at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium at noon.

The Blue Hens possess an above-average offense in the CAA, as their 12 goals per game are the fourth most in the conference.

Delaware’s offense is marshaled by attackers Jaclyn Marszal, Riley Gillin and Lizzie Hsu. Marszal’s 21 goals this season lead her team, while Gillin and Hsu sit just behind her with 17 tallies each. Additionally, Gillian is the team’s leading playmaker, as her 21 assists are the fourth most in the CAA. Marszal has also been a good facilitator, totaling the second-most assists (16) on the squad.

Despite not receiving any starts this season, attackers Delaney McDaniel and Callie Drab have been effective off the Blue Hens’ bench. McDaniel has notched eight goals and recorded the third-most assists (15) on the team, while Drab has buried nine goals and added seven helpers.

Midfielders Keira Grant, Morgan Gore and Lizzie Yurchak have all been key contributors in Delaware’s offensive machine. Grant has been the best goalscorer of the bunch, as she has netted 14 goals in a backup role. Yurchak and Gore have scored 11 goals apiece.

The Blue Hens’ front line will be challenged by a Stony Brook defense that has caused the third-most turnovers per game (nine) and allowed the least goals per game (8.16) in the CAA this season.

Starting in the cage for the Seawolves will be one of goalkeepers Aaliyah Jones or Emily Manning. Manning has started the vast majority of games, but Jones holds the best save percentage (.586) and goals against average (.455) in the CAA. Conversely, Manning is tied for the second-worst save percentage (.348) in the conference and sports the sixth-worst goals against average (9.87).

Defenders Avery Hines, Clare Levy, McKenzie Mitchell and Rachel Rosenberg have led Stony Brook’s backline throughout the campaign. Hines and Levy have recovered the most ground balls for the Seawolves this season with 20 and 19, respectively. Hines has also been a caused-turnover machine, as her 25 are the second most in the conference.

Rosenberg has accumulated five ground balls and five caused turnovers, while Mitchell has forced nine turnovers and scooped up eight ground balls.

Midfielders Erin MacQuarrie, Isabella Caporuscio and Alexandra Fusco add cushion to Stony Brook’s defense. MacQuarrie has recorded 16 ground balls this season, while Caporuscio and Fusco closely trail her with 11 and 10, respectively.

Attacker Alex Finn has forced a team-leading 24 turnovers, while midfielder Ellie Masera sits just behind her with 18. Attacker Kailyn Hart has provoked 14 turnovers and midfielder Charlotte Verhulst has registered 12.

In regards to draw controls, Masera leads the way. She is responsible for 72 of the Seawolves’ 169 draw controls this season, which gives her the second most in the CAA.

Like Stony Brook, Delaware’s defense is also a formidable group. The Blue Hens’ own the third-best goals against average (8.36) in the CAA and the second-best save percentage (.513).

Defender Madison Hranicka is the stalwart of the team’s defense, as she leads the CAA this season in ground-ball recoveries (52) and caused turnovers (48). Defenders Maddy Mobilia, Kat Baseggio and Sam Schelling round out Delaware’s defense. Schelling has scooped up 19 ground balls and Baseggio has collected 11. Mobilia has forced five turnovers.

Marszal, Gillin, McDaniel, Hsu and Drab also defend from the front. Marszal has accumulated 14 ground-ball recoveries and has caused 13 turnovers, while Gillin has collected five ground balls and provoked 27 turnovers. McDaniel and Hsu have forced 23 and 17 turnovers, respectively, while Drab has caused 13.

In the midfield, Yurchak has provoked 16 turnovers and collected 11 ground balls, while Gore has caused 10 and picked up five ground balls. Grant has scooped up seven ground balls and forced seven turnovers. Midfielder Sam Paradise has forced 11 turnovers.

Attacker Danielle Livornese has been a force when taking draws, as her 3.78 controls per game rank ninth in the CAA.

In the cage, goalkeeper Steph Marszal has been among the CAA’s best. Her .521 save percentage and 8.81 goals against average are the third-best markers in the conference.

The Blue Hens will be tasked with halting a Seawolves offense that tops the CAA with 15.91 goals per game.

The crown jewel of Stony Brook’s offense is Masera, who is responsible for CAA-leading 41 goals this season. Additionally, her 4.56 goals per game are the second most out of all NCAA Division I players.

Complimenting Masera, Verhulst and Hart have recorded 25 and 34 goals this season, respectively. Hart’s 34 goals also rank third in the conference and she has added 10 assists.

Finn is the team’s playmaking engine. She has cemented herself as the CAA’s premier facilitator by racking up a conference-leading 36 assists. On top of starting plays, Finn has also finished 17 of them herself.

Attackers Courtney Maclay and Morgan Mitchell have also been effective, scoring nine and eight goals, respectively.

In the midfield, Caporuscio and fellow midfielder Jaden Hampel have added some offense. Hampel has tallied seven goals while Caporuscio has notched six. From the backline, Levy has scored six goals as well.

The Seawolves will hope to continue their dominance over Delaware, as their last victory over it saw them book their ticket into the CAA championship game. That 18-6 win is indicative of Stony Brook’s relationship with its opposition, as it has won all five of its all-time matchups against the Blue Hens. In an authoritarian display, the team won three of those games by at least 12 goals.