Gary Lambrecht, The Examiner
2008-05-01 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

BALTIMORE -

The victories piled up so quickly that UMBC men’s lacrosse coach Don Zimmerman had lost track of the longest winning streak in school history.

Nearly two months have passed since the Retrievers tasted defeat, a 10-8 setback at Johns Hopkins on March 4.

“Has it been that long?” Zimmerman said.

That was the evening UMBC fell to 1-3, yet left Homewood Field feeling very good about itself. That was the night the Retrievers could not win a faceoff to save themselves, yet still went home believing in the positive, one-game-at-a-time vibe Zimmerman had been preaching.

Numerous things explain why seventh-ranked UMBC (10-3) has reversed course, why it enters the America East tournament tonight as the top seed with a nine-game winning streak and the chance to make its third straight NCAA tournament for the first time in its Division I history.

First and foremost, the Retrievers have absorbed the loss of their entire attack, a unit that scored a whopping 112 goals and lifted UMBC to an average of 11.2 goals last season. With junior attacker and CCBC-Essex transfer Ryan Smith and senior midfielder Terry Kimener setting the tone, the Retrievers have produced 10.1 goals per game, with balanced scoring and a keep-it-simple approach.

It starts with a 15th-year coach — and a strong Coach of the Year candidate — who has changed his stubborn ways in recent years.

Going back to Zimmerman’s days as a young, successful head coach at Hopkins in the 1980s — he won three NCAA titles in four years (1984, ‘85, ‘87) and still is the only coach to win it all in his first year — he was a my-way-or-the-highway kind of guy, a hands-on taskmaster who ruled his offense with a controlling fist.

The playbook was busy. Structure was paramount. Ball movement was king. Never mind that it often left UMBC playing for an 7-6 win with a brand of lacrosse that was, well, boring.

But during the past three years, Zimmerman has softened his grip. This spring, he has turned the Retrievers loose maybe more than ever, allowing them to create plays off the dodge, to make the defense react, then react off of that, to take chances in transition.

Whether it’s a midfielder starting a play with a dodge off the wing, or an attackman such as Smith (team-high 27 goals) operating all alone behind the net, it’s no longer a sin to hold the ball for a while in Zimmerman’s scheme.

“We’re not doing our own thing. But [Zimmerman] gives us the offense, and we tweak it on the field,” Kimener, who leads UMBC with 18 assists and 42 points, said. “He’s given us more freedom. He’s been lenient, especially with this team. It really started after my freshman year.”

Said Zimmerman: “We run much fewer plays from a half-field position. We get guys into sets, and teach them how to play, how to create a 2-on-1 [break], how to read a [double-team]. Instead of too many Xs and Os, let them figure it out. We’re not run-and-gun, but I’ve come to appreciate that it’s a player’s game.”

And the players have continued to reward the coach. Does anyone remember this team started 0-2 after being outscored by Delaware and Rutgers by a combined 28-11?

The Retrievers have done it in part by defying the stats.

They rank 39th among 56 Division I schools in faceoff percentage (.459) and 45th in man-down defense, but they keep getting the ball back enough to offset the damage. Junior goalie Jeremy Blevins (.543 save percentage, 8.74 goals-allowed average) doesn’t have stellar numbers, but he keeps making timely saves and igniting the offense with excellent outlet passes.

UMBC shoots a so-so, 28.2 percent. But seven players have at least 13 points. Sophomores such as attacker Matt Latham (21 goals) and midfielder Kyle Wimer (26 points) keep coming through in the clutch.

And Zimmerman, the not-so-stubborn coach with 184 victories behind him in 22 seasons, is having more fun than ever.

Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com.