UMBC

Baltimore, Md.—The UMBC men’s lacrosse team won its eighth straight game and clinched home field advantage in the upcoming America East Championships with a 16-5 victory over Hartford before 1,174 fans on “Senior Day” at UMBC Stadium.

The Retrievers (9-3, 4-0) clinched at least a share of the regular season title and with prior wins over Albany and Stony Brook would win a tie-breaker with either team. Hartford fell to 0-12 overall and 0-4 in the America East.

UMBC scoring leaders Terry Kimener and Ryan Smith each scored two goals and added two assists for the hosts. Freshman midfielder Bobby Stockton had a break-out game with his first four collegiate points, posting three goals and adding a helper. Sophomore attackman Matt Latham scored three goals and tied a UMBC school record as each tally occurred on a man-up opportunity. Sophomore midfielder Kyle Wimer posted a three-assist effort.

Senior face-off specialist Taylor Marino celebrated his final regular season home game with his first career goal, seven ground balls and won 12 of 17 face-offs. He surpassed 400 career face offs won with 404. Senior goalkeeper David Coker, attackman Conor Devlin and defender Brandon Mathias each saw a great deal of action in the contest.

Hartford’s Jacob Eustice led the Hawks with two goals and one assist. 

UMBC took control from the start as Kimener scored on the game’s first possession, taking a feed from Wimer and scoring from seven yards out. Smith doubled UMBC’s lead at the 7:33 mark and Marino won the ensuing draw, raced down the field and bounced his first career goal past Jon McMahon seven seconds after Smith’s score.

The Retrievers built the lead to 5-0 after one quarter and 7-1midway through the second quarter, but the Hawks finished the first half on a 3-0 run to cut their deficit to 7-4 at intermission. Eustice capped the rally by flicking a rebound past UMBC junior netminder Jeremy Blevins with 18 seconds to play in the half.

But the Retrievers would blank Hartford for the first 27:36 of the second half and score eight unanswered goals to put the game away. Latham and Stockton scored two times each in the flurry.

The eight consecutive wins ties UMBC’s school Division I record, which was set in 1999. The Retrievers extended the nation’s second longest home winning streak by posting their 12^th in succession at UMBC Stadium.

The Retrievers outshot the Hawks, 48-20. McMahon made 13 saves in going the distance for the visitors, while Blevins had five saves, while allowing four goals in the first 45 minutes. Coker made a pair of stops and allowed the final Hawk score. For the second time in three games, UMBC was perfect in clearing, succeeding 16 of 16 times.

UMBC will complete the regular season next Saturday at Vermont.