UMBC

BALTIMORE- UMBC junior goalkeeper Adam Cohen (Arnold, Md./Severn) came up with a career-high 15 saves, but the Retrievers could not shut down the fifth-ranked Loyola Greyhounds and dropped a 13-5 decision at soggy UMBC Stadium.

Loyola improved to 8-0 with the victory, while UMBC fell to 2-4. It was the third consecutive contest for the Retrievers against a team ranked in the top five nationally.

UMBC and Cohen played an outstanding first quarter, taking a 3-1 lead after 15 mintues. Senior attackman Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y.) scored a man-up goal three minutes into the contest. Loyola would tie the score at the 4:23 mark, but junior attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C) regained the lead for UMBC on a man-up goal at the 10:02 mark and finished a fast break with 0.3 remaining in the quarter to give the hosts a two-goal advantage.

Cohen made six first quarter saves and turned aside his seventh early in the second quarter before the explosive Greyhounds started to turn the tide. They tied the game on two goals two minutes apart at the midpoint of the stanza and took a 4-3 lead off a face-off win and goal ten seconds after the tying score.

UMBC tied the score as Grimm scored UMBC’s third man-up goal of the game, burying an inside  feed from junior attackman Joe Lustgarten (Wading River, N.Y.) at the 12:34 mark. But Loyola’s J.P. Dalton, who dominated the face-off circle, won the ensuing draw and fed junior attackman Mike Sawyer, who gave the Greyhounds the lead for good just six seconds after Grimm’s goal.

Loyola scored twice more, tallying six goals in the second quarter, and took a 7-4 lead at intermission.

The Greyhounds controlled four of five third quarter draws, and outscored UMBC, 4-0, in the third quarter to take command, 11-4, after 45 minutes.

Grimm ended the UMBC scoring drought 3:35 into the third quarter,  but Loyola sophomore netminder Jack Runkel turned aside four UMBC shots in the final 15 minutes to preserve the margin for the visitors.

Grimm posted his first three-goal game of the season and the fourth of his career. Jones added two goals for UMBC, while Lustgarten had a pair of assists.

Loyola outshot UMBC, 46-31, won 15 of 21 draws and captured 32 ground balls to 17 for the Retrievers. UMBC was 3-of-6 on man-up chances and killed off three of Loyola’s four extra-man opportunities.

UMBC opens America East Conference play next Saturday, March 31, when they host defending league champion Hartford at 7:00 p.m. under the lights at UMBC Stadium.