The list of Division I teams that has improved as much as Delaware over the last month is a short one, if it exists at all.

Some of the credit goes to getting close to full strength. Some if it goes to simply getting a young team some experience. Coach Ben DeLuca is optimistic both will help the Blue Hens (5-1) continue to emerge as a factor in the Colonial Athletic Association title chase and beyond, including Saturday when Towson visits Newark.

“We’re trying to compress a traditional offseason — we did, at least — into the first couple weeks of our regular season,” DeLuca said. “No preseason scrimmages, we played four games in the first 17 days of competition and really threw out guys right into the fire. Coaching and developing and learning and correcting as we go, I do think that learning curve could really be able to take off if we give it a chance.”

Delaware had its share of COVID issues in the first week of the season. Its scheduled opener against Villanova was canceled on the tail end of a program pause. Then came a midweek trip to Mount St. Mary’s, which outplayed the short-handed Blue Hens to earn a 10-7 victory.

DeLuca knew at the time his team needed to get on the field and compete, even if the outcome wasn’t what he wanted. But Delaware’s offense took off after the opener. The Blue Hens have averaged 16.2 goals during their five-game winning streak, and their output in Saturday’s 19-12 defeat of Drexel was their largest since scoring 19 goals against Detroit on Feb. 4, 2012.

It was the most goals Delaware scored in a CAA game since a 20-5 rout of Robert Morris on April 19, 2008.

Perhaps the most impressive facet of the Blue Hens’ offense to date is the possibility of anyone emerging with a monster stat line. Mike Robinson scored nine goals against Saint Joseph’s. Tye Kurtz had five goals and six assists against Fairfield, while Charlie Kitchen had five goals and two assists in the same game. Mark Bieda delivered four goals and two assists against Drexel.

“What we’re really working hard on with our guys is sharing the ball and allowing the player who has the opportunities to take advantage of those opportunities,” DeLuca said. “It depends on what a defense is going to do. If a defense doesn’t want to leave Charlie Kitchen, he’s going to be limited a little bit. If the defense doesn’t want to slide off Tye Kurtz, there’s going to be opportunities for other guys. I’m pleased with how our offense has taken advantage of those opportunities as they’ve come and really embraced that selfless style of lacrosse.”

Delaware’s relative youth makes it an intriguing possibility as the season unfolds. Robinson is a sophomore, and midfielders Cam and Matt Acchione are freshmen. There are also several underclassmen contributing at the defensive end.

“It was a choppy start and less than ideal, but the lessons that we learned and the growth we’ve been able to enjoy through the experiences of our first six games has really led us to the point we’re at now,” DeLuca said. “We’re starting to, I hope, find a little bit of a rhythm and start to see some glimpses of what this team may really be all about.”