Maryland Lacrosse Roundup

A big week of lacrosse as Maryland and Johns Hopkins tried to defend the state in the Face-Off Classic in M&T Bank Stadium, UMBC tries to remain unbeaten against a ranked foe, and Mt. St. Mary's started their season.
(all rankings provided by Inside Lacrosse Media Poll)

Maryland wins, Hopkins Loses in the Face-Off Classic

Maryland won a fierce battle 11-8 against conference rival Duke while Johns Hopkins got routed by Princeton 14-8 in the Face-Off Classic on Saturday.

In the first game of the Classic, #3 Johns Hopkins tried to repeat last year's performance against #11 Princeton, however the exact opposite happened. Out of the gate the Tigers unleashed a fury on the Blue Jays, leading 9-1 midway through the second quarter. Mike Gvozden was getting shelled in goal but struggled all day, not being able to make key saves. Hopkins did try to fight back but could not get close. Michael Kimmel ended with a hat trick and an assist, but this was a day Hopkins does not want to remember.

#7 Maryland got beaten by #12 Duke in nearly every category, ground balls 39-25, faceoffs 14-9, and shots 41-34, but not goals, where it mattered. After the two teams had 3-0 runs in the first half, Maryland scored two goals in six second on a 6-1 run to put them up 9-4 in the early part of the fourth quarter. Coach Dave Cottle went away from his two goalie system after Brian Phipps had a huge first half and kept him in the whole game; even second goalie Jason Carter agreed with this decision. Phipps ended with 13 saves on the day. Ryan Young had a great day, scoring a hat trick with two assists plus Grant Catalino led the way in points with six, getting two goals and four assists.

Maryland will play in-state rival Towson next weekend while Hopkins will try to regroup against in-state foe UMBC, then will return home against Hofstra during the weekend.

UMBC Stays Undefeated With Win over Colgate

#9 UMBC improved to 3-0 with a win over #19 Colgate thanks to a breakout fourth quarter and clutch defense.

Everything was even at the end of the third quarter, with Colgate keeping pace with the Retrievers. After both sides scored a goal, UMBC went on a decisive 4-0 run with goals by four different people that got them the eventual win. Colgate had their opportunities but Jeremy Blevins stood strong between the pipes, saving 13 shots plus only allowing three goals on seven extra man chances.

Attack Chris Jones and midfielder Alex Hopmann both finished with a hat trick. Midfielder Kyle Wimer ended with five points on two goals and three assists plus scooping seven ground balls.

UMBC has two home games against ranked opponents this coming week, with rival Johns Hopkins and Princeton coming to town.

Navy Comeback Halted by Buzzer Beater

Down 7-3 going into the 4th quarter, #10 Navy fought back valiantly against Bucknell to tie the game with 1:30 to go, but a final shot by Charlie Streep handed Navy the loss 8-7. Navy falls to 2-2 on the season.

Although Navy was doing fine in most aspects on the field during the game, the scoreboard was not one of them. Bucknell had a 5-1 run from the start of the 2nd to the end of the 3rd quarter to put the score at 7-3. Navy had four goals in the 4th and it looked like it would go to overtime until the last shot.

It was a team affair for Navy; no one had more than two goals. Attack Brendan Connors had two goals and two assists, both of those assists on Navy's final two scores. Attack Tim Paul also had two assists plus a goal.

Nayv has two games in the Old Line State this week, a road midweek game against Mt. St. Mary's and a home contest against Lafayette.

Loyola Survives Against Penn State

Despite a fierce comeback attempt from Penn State in the final quarter, #18 Loyola managed to hold on, winning 8-7 on the road. The team improved to 2-1 on the season.

The first half was a shutout for the Greyhounds, outshooting their opponent 20-12, scoring three in the first quarter, going into the locker room up 3-0. After both sides scored twice in the 3rd, Penn State managed five goals to Loyola's three in the final quarter and had 37 second to try to tie it, but they could not.

Attacks Cooper McDonnell and Shane Coppens ended with hat tricks. Jake Hagelin had 10 saves in the cage, though none in the last 15 minutes.

Loyola will spend next week on the road, playing Siena and Duke.

Towson Spilts Games in Denver

Playing in the Pioneer Face-Off Classic, Towson split their contests, winning against Air Force 11-9 but losing to #t-16 Denver 9-4. Towson is now 2-2 on the season.

Towson was in control for most of their match against Air Force, getting an 11-5 lead after 55 minutes of play. Air Force scored four goals in the final five minutes, but all were scored on backup freshman goalie Andrew Wascavage after replacing Bob Wheeler at around the 56 minute mark. Attack Bill McCutcheon had five goals and two assists and midfield Brock Armour had three scores plus an assist.

Towson could not deliver that success to their next game, as Denver's goalie Peter Lowell had 14 saves to hold down the Tigers. After being down 4-0 after the first 29 minutes, Towson had a 3-1 run into the third quarter, but that is the closest they would get. Four different Tigers scored in the contest, and defenseman Matt Vetter caused four turnovers.

Towson will return for their home opener against rival Maryland on Saturday.

Mt. St. Mary's Loses Opener to Virginia

Despite a valiant effort by T.C. DiBartolo in goal, Mt. St. Mary's could not stop the top team in the country, losing to UVA 10-2 in Charlottesville. They fell to 0-1 on the season.

Virginia was dominant all game, outshooting the Mount 60-16 (50-7 through 45 minutes) and not allowing a goal until the final quarter. DiBartolo saved 21 shots in the game and held some of the best shooters in the game scoreless, but it was too much in the end. Cody Lehrer and Keith McKinley each scored a goal early in the 4th quarter.

The Mountaineers will play two home games next week, a matchup with Navy then a Sunday matinee with Bryant.

The Around the Harbor Lacrosse Standings Through March 1st:
(overall record, record vs. in-state teams), new Inside Lacrosse rankings
--Loyola (2-1, 1-0), ranked #16
--UMBC (3-0, 0-0), ranked #8
--Maryland (3-1, 0-0), ranked #6
--Johns Hopkins (1-1, 0-0), ranked #7
--Navy (2-2, 0-0), ranked #14

--Mt. St. Mary's (0-1, 0-0)

--Towson (1-2, 0-1), received votes

(Photo credit: Baltimore Sun)