Senior leadership, determination key to another memorable season for Dickinson

A season after making it to within one win of the NCAA Final Four, the Dickinson Red Devils are back with a senior core that has been part of the transformation from a team that won only twice in 2021 to a program that has risen this season to No. 6 in the country.

West Chester native Ethan Jarden has been one of the key players in that transformation along with fellow senior captains Saul Iwowo and Luke Finkielstein. The trio, along with seniors Jackson Wolf and fellow West Chester native and Penn Fusion alum Johnny Dietrich, have been regulars in the lineup since 2022 and were key contributors to the team’s deep postseason run last year.

“It’s just an incredible class,” head coach Jorge Chopay said after Dickinson’s 3-0 win over Swarthmore on Saturday. “They really kickstarted the change in the culture. Five years ago, we won two games the year before they came in and the fact that they believed in what I sold them on is a testament to their character. They’re confident guys, and they knew that they could come to Dickinson and maybe play a role right away and change the fortunes of the program.”

For Jarden, a 6-foot-2 striker who was under-recruited coming out of Henderson High School and Penn Fusion, belief from his coaching staff has been key in his development from the onset of college.

“He trusted me when not many others did before getting into college, and just his faith in me always picking me up,” Jarden said of Chopay. “Honestly, he had more faith in me than I probably did at times.”

Jarden’s goal in the second half on Saturday was his 8th of the season and 34th of his career in his 75th appearance.

“Ethan is the type of player who just won’t be denied,” Chopay said. “He’s not the fastest, but his pure will is incredible and he will fight till the end.”

Jarden has also collected 15 assists over his four seasons on the West Shore but it’s his work off the ball the striker said fires him up most in games when so much is on the line. .

“I can score a goal, but a big tackle honestly gets me more fired up,” Jarden said.

Dickinson’s 3-0 win over Swarthmore at Clothier Field on Saturday stretched their season record to 10-0-5. They’re one of three teams in their conference still with a zero in the loss column (Haverford and Muhlenberg are the others) and one of four men’s programs in the region still unbeaten along with Scranton.

Dickinson visits Johns Hopkins on Wednesday, a team that beat them both in the regular season and the Centennial Conference final last season, and has McDaniel and Muhlenberg left to play after that.

For Jarden and his fellow seniors, Wednesday’s game in Baltimore will be a chance to complete some unfinished business against a team that they’ve beaten only once over their four seasons and were knocked out by twice in the conference tournament.

“We can’t look past any single game,” Jarden said. “And we have Hopkins on Wednesday. That’s all we’re looking forward to right now.”