UMBC

The UMBC men’s lacrosse team opens the 2009 season on its earliest date ever, Feb. 14, as they travel to Newark, Del. to take on the Delaware Blue Hens at Rullo Stadium. Opening face-off is set for 1:00 p.m. After the opener, the Retrievers start a four-game homestand, beginning with the home debut vs. Rutgers on Feb. 21

RETRIEVER NOTEBOOK

In 2008…

UMBC advanced to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The Retrievers had gone in back-to-back years (1998, 1999 and 2006, 2007), but never in three in a row. All five of UMBC’s Division I post-season appearances have occurred in the last 11 years. 

UMBC set a new school record with its current 11-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the nation. The previous mark of eight (1975, 1999) was broken with the win at Vermont on April 26. 

The Retrievers broke the school’s single season record for Division I wins. The 1999 and 2007 teams each won 11 games, while the NCAA Division II teams in 1974 and 1975 won 13 games apiece.

UMBC won its second America East Championship in the last three seasons to advance to the national tournament. The Retrievers also captured the league’s regular season crown, an honor they have won or shared in each of the past four seasons.

Head Coach Don Zimmerman earned his second America East Coach of the Year honors in the last three years. Coach Zimmerman was selected as the US Lacrosse Men’s Coach of the Week for the week ending May 4. Amongst active coaches, Zimmerman is tenth in victories (186) and 13^th in winning percentage (62.8%).

Zimmerman’s Records

Career Record: 186-110 (.628)

(22 Seasons)

at UMBC: 113-94 (.546)

(15 Seasons)

The April 19 win over Hartford propelled the Retrievers to a school-record No. 5 ranking in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll on April 21. The Retrievers reached the No. 9 slot in the USILA poll on three occasions; in March of 1999, in April of 2003 and two weeks ago before climbing to No. 6 on April 14.

UMBC averaged 8.5 goals per game in eight non-conference games, but were at a league high 12.4 goals per game in five America East games. They ended the season 16th in the country in goals per game (10.00).

Notes…

WINNING THE TIGHT ONES: UMBC is now 14-3 in games decided by three goals or less since the beginning of the 2007 season. They have also won six straight overtime decisions in the last two seasons. In one-goal decisions, UMBC has won nine of its last 12.  UMBC is now 12-4 in Don Zimmerman’s 15 seasons in overtime, including wins in six straight.

HOME DAWGS: UMBC has won 13 straight home games and 18 of the last 19, with the lone loss coming vs. top-ranked Johns Hopkins in ‘07. The streak of 13 straight at home is the third-longest in the nation behind Notre Dame and Duke.

THE HITS JUST KEEP COMING: UMBC’s 33 wins over a three-year period is the most in the school’s Division I (1981) history and only behind 34 wins in the span from 1974-1976.

IN LEAGUE PLAY:  UMBC has held 21 of 27 teams to single digits in goals. UMBC has won 11 straight regular season America East home games and is 13-1 overall, with its lone loss occuring vs. Stony Brook in April of 2004. They are 23-4 all-time in America East play, including 10-3 on the road.

DON’T LOOK BACK: UMBC enters its 42^nd  season of varsity men's lacrosse with a record of 311-254 (.551). They are 195-189 (.508) entering their 28th year at the Division I level. Before the win over Towson on April 1, 2008, the last time the program was last over the .500 mark at the Division I level was when at the end of its third season when the record was 19-18.

ACCORDING TO THE EXPERTS: UMBC is the preseason choice of the coaches to again claim the crown in 2009. The Retrievers received a total of 24 points and four first-place votes (coaches were not permitted to vote for their team), just ahead of University at Albany, the 2007 champion, which received 22 points and a pair of first-place votes. Stony Brook University was chosen third with 16 points, while Binghamton University was tabbed fourth with 14. University of Vermont and University of Hartford rounded out the six-team poll with nine and five points, respectively.

The Retrievers are ranked No. 11 in the United States Lacrosse Coaches Association preseason poll and tabbed at No. 10 in the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll. Inside Lacrosse tabbed UMBC at No. 10, its highest preseason ranking to date for the Retrievers. Coach Zimmerman’s team is set to face IL’s No. 3 Maryland, No. 5 Johns Hopkins, No. 12 America East rival Albany, No. 13 Princeton, No. 17 Colgate and No. 20 Delaware. The Terrapins, Blue Jays, Raiders and Ohio State Buckeyes all competed in the 2008 championships.

HENS AND DOGS: Delaware leads the series, 11-8, owns three straight wins and has captured six of the last seven meetings between the two teams. Last season, the UMBC opened the campaign vs. Delaware in Jacksonville, Fla. on Feb. 16 and the Hens prevailed, 15-7. Ryan Smith led the way for the Retrievers with three goals in his debut, but three Blue Hen veterans were the difference makers in the game. UMBC outshot Delaware, 40-37, but UD senior netminder Tom Scherr made 15 saves, several against outstanding Retriever chances. Senior attackman Cam Howard had a seven-point game with two goals and five assists, while sophomore Curtis Dickson tallied five goals and one assist.

UMBC vs. Delaware    (UD leads, 11-8)                     

1977    A         W        14-10

1978    H         W        16-14

1979    A         L          13-14

1980    H         W        22-12

1981                W        17-13

1982                W        8-6

1983    A         L          9-10

1984    H         W        8-9 (OT)

1985    A         L          5-16

1986    H         L          6-7

1987    A         L          8-11

1988    H         W        13-9

1989    A         L          7-9

1991    A         L          10-14

1999    N!        L          11-12

2003    A         W        13-8

2004    H         L          10-11

2007    N!        L          6-10

2008    N         L          7-15

Player Notes

Senior netminder Jeremy Blevins is expected to make his 49th consecutive start vs. Delaware and has a career record of 32-15 in the UMBC cage. One of the team captains, Blevins leads all active netminders in the nation in wins and is fifth on UMBC’s all-time saves list with 476.

Senior middie Alex Hopmann, also a team captain, is UMBC’s leading active scorer with 59 points. In 2008, he tallied had a season-best five points (2g, 3a) in the America East title game vs. Albany and recorded a career-high three assists. He scored the game-tying goal with just over three minutes left and tied a16-year old school record by attempting 15 shots in the game. Hopmann is UMBC’s  all-time leader with nine points (8g, 1a)  in NCAA Division I championship play. 

Senior attackman Ryan Smith and junior linemate Matt Latham tied for the team lead last season with 29 goals apiece.  Smith suffered a knee injury (torn ACL) just 77 seconds into the America East title game, and is expected to be ready to compete early in the 2009 season. Smith, along with junior midfielder Kyle Wimer were tabbed preseason honorable mention All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse Magazine in December. Wimer led UMBC with seven points in the America East Tournament, including his first hat trick of the season vs. Albany.

Ohio State transfer, senior Peet Poillon an IL second-team preseason All-American, scored 32 goals for the NCAA quarterfinalist Buckeyes in 2008.

Latham finished second in the America East Conference with 15 goals in five league games  (3.00) and has scored 26 goals in his last nine outings. Latham tied a school record with three extra-man goals vs. Hartford and tied for the league lead with three game-winning goals. He led UMBC with four goals in the America East title game. Latham has a scoring streak of ten straight games alive. 

Junior attackman Chris Jones had a six-game scoring streak halted at Vermont.

Junior midfielder Maxx Davis scored his first two collegiate goals on the big stage at Homewood Field and then scored the game-winning goal in the third overtime (1.5 seconds remaining) in the win over Maryland. Davis posted career bests in assists (four) and points (five) in the America East title game vs. Albany.

Junior long-stick midfielder Mike Camardo was named as a team captain after senior defender Bobby Atwell suffered a torn ACL over the winter holidays. Atwell has undergone surgery and will apply for a hardship waiver so that he may compete in the spring of 2010.