Retrievers becoming leaders of the pack

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Less than a month into the season, the UMBC men’s lacrosse team couldn’t have been playing much worse after stumbling to a 1-3 start.

Oh, how quickly things can change.

The 12th-ranked Retrievers are now one of the hottest teams in the nation and have won five straight games following their 9-6 win on Tuesday at in-state rival Towson.

“Guys have better understanding of their roles,” UMBC coach Don Zimmerman said. “They aren’t worried about the ‘me’ they are worried about the ‘us.’ We are working harder in practice and not getting away from what we have been doing, and [are] just doing it better.”

UMBC (6-3) started the season with consecutive losses to Delaware and Rutgers by a combined score of 28-11. The team seemed to turn things around with a 9-6 win over Denver, but stumbled at then-top-ranked Johns Hopkins, 10-8.

The Retrievers, however, used the momentum of the close loss to the Blue Jays to spark them to close wins against Yale, third-ranked Maryland, 17th-ranked Ohio State, Stony Brook and Towson.

What changed? Junior attacker Ryan Smith says its the team’s attitude.

“The spirits are a lot higher,” Smith said. “We have become a lot closer as a team on the field and it has really been paying off for us.”

UMBC couldn’t have been much better against Towson. The disciplined Retrievers defense that Zimmerman described as “one of his most talented” at the beginning of the season, helped force 19 turnovers, held the Tigers (2-6) off the scoreboard for more than 31 straight minutes and tied a season-low with six goals allowed.

But disciplined play is a trademark of the Retrievers, who are after their third straight NCAA Tournament berth. UMBC has recorded 50 assists on 83 goals and is 9-2 over the past two years in games decided by two or fewer goals, including 4-1 this season. To keep the momentum going, the Retrievers must now deal with a short turnaround, as they travel to Vestal, N.Y., on Saturday night at 7:30 to play America East rival Binghampton (2-4, 0-1).

UMBC, which is 1-0 in the conference, is 3-1 against the Bearcats since joining the league in 2004, including an 11-10 win in double overtime last season. If the Retrievers want to make it four straight against Binghampton, they will have to continue to get stellar play from senior midfielder Terry Kimener (15 goals, 14 assists) and Smith (17,8), who each had multi-point games against Towson.

“Our guys confidence is growing,” Zimmerman said. ““Swagger’s OK, but it’s more what’s going on between the ears than anything else. Our guys know on any given day, any team can beat any team.”

dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com