UMBC

Two of the UMBC men’s lacrosse team’s three home games this season have gone to overtime. The last two meetings with Sunday’s opponent, the Ohio State Buckeyes, have been decided in double overtime. Notice a trend? The 3-3 Retrievers take on the 4-3 Buckeyes at UMBC Stadium on Sunday, March 25 at 1:05 p.m. The game will be televised live by WMAR-TV and on a delayed basis (9:00 p.m. Sunday night) by ESPNU.   

A REPEAT PERFORMANCE, PLEASE: With setbacks in three of its last four games, the Retrievers stand at 3-3 on the season. However, UMBC was 3-3 in 2006, before winning six of the next seven games en route to an America East title and bid to the 2006 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships.

THE IRON CEILING: UMBC has performed admirably against the USILA 10-20 over the past several years, but the Retrievers have dropped their last nine games to teams ranked in the top ten after Saturday’s 11-7 setback at Maryland. UMBC’s last win over a top ten team occurred in 2003, when they defeated No. 8 North Carolina, 10-8. Since last season, UMBC is 5-2 vs. teams ranked in the second ten.

CHILLED BYRD:  The Retrievers struggled for three quarters before an impressive four-goal run in the fourth quarter, but fell to the tenth-ranked Terrapins, 11-7, in  a cold, nearly-barren Byrd Stadium on Saturday. UMBC was outscored, 9-2, in the second and third quarters.

CARDIAC KIDS:  The men’s lacrosse team are this spring’s “Cardiac Kids” as two of the team’s three wins have occured in overtime. After opening the year with a 12-11 overtime triumph over Brown, UMBC’s most recent extra-time conquest was an 11-10 double overtime thriller vs. Penn two weeks ago.

O, CANADA: Canadian freshman Cayle Ratcliffe earned America East Conference Rookie of the Week honors on March 11. Ratcliffe tied a long-standing UMBC record with his six-goal effort in the win over Penn. His six goals equallied Jason Smith’s six tallies in the 1991 opener vs. Marist for a Retriever freshman record. Of course, Ratcliffe got the game-winner with 14 seconds to play in the second overtime period. 

FRONT-RUNNERS: The win over Penn was UMBC’s first when trailing at halftime since a March 7, 2004 9-8 overtime win over Ohio State. UMBC did not trail a game at halftime during last year’s regular season (they were tied four times), but 
were have now trailed at the half in the last three games.

EXTRA-TIME: In Coach Zimmerman’s tenure at UMBC, the Retrievers are 8-4 in overtime games. The 2005 team was his only other team to win twice in extra time in the same season, with victories over Ohio State and Loyola.

TIME OFF: UMBC played for the fourth time in eight days when they hosted Penn on March 10. They will not play another mid-week affair until facing Towson on April 3.

THE POLLING PLACES ARE OPEN: After ending the 2006 campaign ranked #11, the Retrievers were ranked #11 in the pre-season USILA poll. UMBC has dropped from the top 20 in both the USILA  (receiving votes, 25th) and Nike/Inside Lacrosse (RV, 21st) polls. Ironcially, Ohio State is 21st in the USILA poll and 25th in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse poll.

GREAT DANE IN THE MORNING: The University at Albany, winners of three of the last four league crowns, and defending conference champion UMBC have each received a total of 32 points and sit tied atop the America East Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Great Danes received three first-place votes, while the Retrievers garnered two.

TOUGH SLATE: Nine of UMBC’s opponents have been in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse top 20. This week, UMBC’s opponents are ranked  #3 (Johns Hopkins), #5 (Albany), #9 (Maryland), #15 (Towson), #18 Brown, #20 (Stony Brook), #22 Penn and #25 (Ohio State). Denver has been ranked during the earlier course of the season.  

ON AIR:  Four UMBC games will be televised this season and at least five will be on radio. The games vs. Johns Hopkins and Vermont will air on MASN-TV, while games vs. Ohio State and at Maryland will be broadcast on WMAR-TV/ESPNU. The games set for WVIE Radio (1370 AM, www.v1370.com) are vs. Brown, Penn, Towson, Binghamton and at Stony Brook.

A LOOK BACK:The Retrievers finished the season with their first winning record since 2003...the ten wins is the most for UMBC in a season since winning 11 games in 1999. UMBC finished the 2006 season ranked #7 in man-up offense (41.7%), ninth in offense (10.33 gpg) and 13th in defense (7.93 gapg). For the second consecutive year, UMBC captured the America East Conference regular season title on the final day of the campaign. Last season, UMBC won at Albany, 9-8, to share the league title with the Great Danes, and, on April 29, the Retrievers produced a convincing 20-9 win over Stony Brook to win the title outright. UMBC was the first #1 seed to win the tournament title since Towson accomplished the feat in 2001. Albany had won three staight America East championships. 

IN LEAGUE PLAY: UMBC is now 14-3 in two-plus years of America East Conference (regular season) play. They have held 16 of 17 teams to single digits in goals, allowing Stony Brook ten goals in last year’s 10-9 setback.

40TH ANNIVERSARY  UMBC enters its 40th season of varsity men's lacrosse with an updated record of 291-248. They are 175-183 in 26 years-plus at the Division I level.

NEED THAT RADIO/TV CHART: There are 21 freshmen on the 2007 roster and 35 of the 45 players have one year or less of Division I experience

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Senior Drew Westervelt has moved into 10th place in UMBC history with 157 points (86-71-157). He was the sixth-leading active scorer in the nation entering the 2007 season. Westervelt has moved into a tie for ninth place on UMBC’s all-time assist list with 71 helpers. Classmate Andy Gallagher became the 23rd player in school history to record 100 points and he has moved into a tie for 20th place with 111 points (72g-37a). Both Retriever attackmen were named to the Pioneer Face Off Classic’s All Tournament team.

TOUGH LOSSES: UMBC’s last eight losses have occured to teams all ranked in the USILA or Inisde Lacrosse top 20.

MAN UP LOOKING UP: The Retrievers scored on all three man-up opportunities vs. Johns Hopkins and are now 10 of 20 on the season. UMBC is sixth in the nation in man-up success at 50.0 percent. However, they will take on an Ohio State team which is tied for ninth in the nation in man-down defense.

YOUNG DEFENSE: UMBC held nine consecutive teams under the 10-goal mark last season, its longest streak in school history. However, six of UMBC’s last seven foes have scored in double digits, topped  by Hopkins’ 15-goal output on March 6. That was the most goals allowed by the Retrievers since a 16-10 loss at Maryland on March 19 of 2005. Before allowing 13 goals to Denver on March 4, UMBC had gone 25 games without permitting 13 or more goals.

HOME COOKIN’: UMBC had won five straight at home until Hopkins victory on March 6.

SERIES HISTORY:  UMBC leads the all-time series, 3-2, BUT three of the five decisions have gone beyond 60 minutes.

2005:  Ohio State 10, UMBC 9, 2ot  
In a game played at Johns Hopkins, OSU freshman midfielder Kyle Buchanan scored with 1:54 remaining in the second overtime period.

2004:  @ UMBC 8, Ohio State 7, 2ot 
Junior attacker Corey Warner scored an extra-man goal with 41 seconds remaining in the second overtime period, as UMBC rallied from a four-goal fourth quarter deficit to defeat Ohio State.

2003:  @ Ohio State 12, UMBC 9   
The No. 17-ranked Ohio State men's lacrosse team defeated No. 14 UMBC, 12-9, in the regular season finale for both teams.

1993 @UMBC 20, Ohio State 11  
Stewart Walker tallies eight points in the UMBC win.  

1992 @ UMBC 14, Ohio State 13, 3ot 
The longest game in UMBC’s Division I history ends when Brian Duncan scores in the third overtime period.

Head Coach Don Zimmerman  is guiding the Retrievers in his 14th season and has a 93-87 record at UMBC. His overall mark in 19+ seasons is 165-103. He entered the year 12th in winning percentage amongst all active coaches.

PLAYER NOTES

Drew Westervelt now has points in 12 straight games. In his streak, he has 27 goals and 22 assists for 49 points, an average of 4.08 ppg. He has scored at least a point in 48 of the 50 games he has competed in at UMBC.  Westervelt has moved into 10th place in UMBC history with 157 points (86-71-157). He was the sixth-leading active scorer in the nation entering the 2007 season. Westervelt has moved into a tie for ninth place on UMBC’s all-time assist list with 71 helpers.

Westervelt ranks ninth in the country in assists and first in the America East Conference with 2.00 per game. He is also second in the league in points per game with 3.67 per outing. In two career games vs. OSU, Westervelt has three goals and three assists.

Andy Gallagher became the 23rd player in school history to record 100 points and he has moved into a tie for 20th place with 111 points (72g-37a). In two games vs. Ohio State, he has four goals and three assists. He recorded the assist on Corey Warner’s game-winner in overtime vs. the Buckeyes in 2004.

Gallagher and Westervelt are tied for eighth in the America East Conference with 1.67 points per game and is tied for sixth with teammate Terry Kimener in points per game with 2.67.

Terry Kimener had at least a goal in eight straight games until he was held without a score vs. JHU. He did manage one assist in the game to keep his scoring streak alive and it is now at 11 straight. In that span, he has 34 points (23g, 11), or 3.09 ppg. Kimener tied his season high with three goals vs. Maryland and now has points in 11 consecutive contests. Kimener’s six-point effort in the opener vs .Brown (3-3-6) is a new career high in points.

Kimener is tied for sixth in the America East Confernece with 2.67 points per game.

Taylor Marino won 12 of 20 draws vs. Maryland

Alex Hopmann posted his three straight multi-goal games with a pair of scores vs. Albany, three vs. Princeton (in last year’s NCAA First Round) and two in the opener vs. Brown, but was held scoreless in the next three games. He must like playing the Ivies, because he broke the brief drought with a pair of goals vs. Penn. 

Hopmann scored twice vs. Maryland and is second in the America East Conference with 6.50 shots per game.

Goalkeeper Jeremy Blevins made a career-high 16 saves in the win over Air Force, while playing 52:15. He only allowed five of the seven AFA goals. The 14 goals he allowed vs. JHU  was the most last year’s America East Rookie of the Year has allowed in a game.

Blevins is third in America East in saves per game with 12.50.

Freshmen Kyle Wimer and Cayle Ratcliffe have made an immediate impact on the offensive end for UMBC. Wimer was named America East Conference Rookie of the Week on March 5 as he scored a goal and added six assists in UMBC’s two games in Colorado. Ratcliffe earned the same honor this past week after his brilliant six-goal effort and game-winning goal in double overtime vs. Penn. He leads the Retrievers with 13 goals, all of which have occured in the past four games.