Bring on the bruises: Blue Hens' new starter among leading NCAA lacrosse goalies
Kevin Ellington had played barely seven minutes in two games over his first three University of Delaware lacrosse seasons.
That made him somewhat of an unknown as the Blue Hens prepared to replace three-year starting goalie and 2023 first-team All-CAA pick Matt Kilkeary heading into 2024.
Delaware coaches, however, were quite sure they had a formidable heir apparent in Ellington.
“We had complete faith and confidence in Kevin,” Blue Hens coach Ben DeLuca said. “Quite frankly, he was ready last year. He played that well over the course of the last two years.”
That trust has been rewarded, as Ellington, a senior and first-year starter, has established himself as one of the country’s best lacrosse goalies.
Ellington’s 60.2 save percentage is No. 1 in NCAA Division I. His 9.0 goals-against average is third best nationally.
“It’s definitely cool to see now,” said Ellington, whose 13.0 saves per game rank ninth. “But it’s something I’m not trying to focus on too much. At the end of the day, we’re trying to win the CAA championship.”
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Matt Kilkeary a tough act to follow
Kilkeary was among the national leaders last year, finishing fourth in goals against (9.44) and 17th in save percentage (53.0) before earning a spot on the Premier Lacrosse League’s California Redwoods last summer.
“For an established goalkeeper like Matt Kilkeary to have someone pushing him like Kevin Ellington, that benefitted both,” DeLuca said.
The 5-foot-7, 165-pound Ellington said he greatly benefitted from working with Kilkeary and felt ready to seize the opportunity this year.
“Me and Matt Kilkeary, we had a super good relationship,” Ellington said. “It was very collaborative. He was helping me. I was helping him.
“Obviously, he was the older guy and he earned the starting role my freshman year and never looked back. He was super talented and he just took me under his wing. I knew if I kept working hard it would pay off eventually.”
Bring on the bruises
Becoming a goalie and absorbing the bruises that come with it was rooted, Ellington said, in being put in that position for his older brother and friends to pelt with shots as a kid. By middle school he asked a coach to play there full-time and the Bel Air, Maryland, resident then starred in high school at Loyola Blakefield.
“The coolest part about it is being able to change the game,” Ellington said. “… I kind of have the last say in the whole game. That’s what’s really exciting and I love about it.”
Being very skilled, extremely fearless and able to lead a defense come with the job, along with, Ellington said, having the right mental approach to build confidence, avoid distractions and “focus on the ball and play free.”
His success has just been a reminder to stay diligent.
“It’s awesome to be able to compare yourself against the nation’s best,” he said, “but I didn’t really come here to see myself at the top of the leaderboard. It’s more about winning the CAA championship.”
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Smooth transition
The Blue Hens (7-3 overall, 4-0 CAA) have league games remaining at Drexel Saturday and home against CAA co-leader Towson on April 26. Delaware cannot host the CAA Tournament, where the league’s NCAA Tournament representative is determined, because of its impending 2025 departure to Conference USA. It will be at Towson’s Johnny Unitas Stadium May 2-4.
Delaware returned to the national Top 20 rankings in all three polls Monday – 17th in USA Lacrosse, No. 18 in the USILA and No. 19 in Inside Lacrosse. The Blue Hens still likely need to win the CAA Tournament to make the NCAAs for a third straight year. Delaware is the two-time defending CAA champ.
Ellington had a career-high 21 saves, the fifth most in a game nationally this season, on Saturday in Delaware’s 13-10 win over Stony Brook at Delaware Stadium.
“It hasn’t been as hard as I really expected,” said Ellington, a marketing major who’ll return for his final season of eligibility next year while seeking a master’s degree. “Our coaches and my teammates just give us such a great look in practice.
“The other thing that’s really helped is, I feel my teammates have a lot of confidence in me . . . Since Matt Kilkeary left, they haven’t given me a single doubt. They’ve just been telling me and re-enforcing that they know I’m gonna do well and that’s been really helpful.”
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Ellington's diligence pays off
Ellington was named CAA defensive player of the week for the second straight week Monday. He'd recorded 15 saves in a 14-6 win over Fairfield April 6. Ellington has made 15 or more saves in five games.
Ellington has benefitted from strong defensive play in front and around him led by close defenders Tate Wasson, Matt Montgomery and Louie Atkinson. As a team, the 8.8 goals per game allowed by Delaware are second fewest nationally behind Richmond (8.4).
DeLuca said Ellington has also been instrumental in helping Delaware’s offense, which features two of the nation’s leading attackmen in Mike Robinson and J.P. Ward and is tied for 15th nationally with 13.5 goals per game.
“It’s hard to score on Kevin in practice,” DeLuca said. “ . . . His preparation has been unbelievable, the way that he watches film, the way that he studies the other team, the way he studies himself and self-critiques, the way he works.
"To see that hard work pay off is really gratifying.”
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware Blue Hens goalie Kevin Ellington among NCAA lacrosse leaders
