By Corey Johns
Senior Staff Writer
After a bad week of two losses in which UMBC just did not play their lacrosse, the Retrievers had eight days to prepare for in state foe Maryland and try to get their season back on track.
“It was big, especially going into spring break to get that win and play well and turn things around,” coach Don Zimmerman said.
Much like the last two games UMBC played, this one was a very defensive game but unlike the games against Johns Hopkins and Princeton, UMBC came out on top in this one. Kyle Wimer and Alex Hopmann each scored two goals and five others added one each to win a 9-7 game over Maryland, dropping the Terps for the third straight time.
UMBC went into the half with a 4-1 lead and never let Maryland cut the lead under two goals to hold on for the win.
“Getting out to that four goal lead was big,” Zimmerman said. “We went out and played well and had a hard week of practice and [it got results].”
UMBC won the game in the midfield. Hopmann, Wimer and Peet Poillon make up arguably the best midfield in the country and Rob Grimm and Rich May have been providing great depth. May has scored two goals with two assists while playing every game but Grimm is living up to his expectations after being a high school all-American with four goals and eight assists, making him fourth on the team with 12 points.
“Rob has been solid but still has room to improve,” Zimmerman said. “He still has to earn his stripes but has been working hard but we know there is more in there.”
In two losses this season UMBC really struggled in face-offs winning just nine against Johns Hopkins and Princeton. Against Maryland it was a different story. Zimmerman may have found his man at face-off in freshman Justin Radebaugh. Radebaugh went 9-of-23 (39.1%) in his four previous outing but after a hard week in practice he took ever face-off for the Retrievers going 10-for-20 (50%) against one of the best face-off teams in the country, though their starting face-off specialist did not play with injury.
“We held off on Justin for a little while because we didn’t think he was ready to get in there and face-off,” Zimmerman said. “We told him that he was going to take the opening face-off and we were going to stick with him the entire game so just go out and make it a 50-50 ball and that’s what he did. That and guys on the wing stepping up really improved our face-offs.”
The team will have a week off to prepare for their final non-conference game against Ohio State.
“You don’t look at it as who’s conference and who’s non-conference,” Zimmerman said. “You go out there and look at it as our next opponent is Ohio State and play hard against them to get momenteum.”
