The UMBC Retrievers men’s lacrosse team hosted the Villanova University Wildcats in their first home scrimmage of the 2010 season. This was a match-up of two top 20 teams from the closing polls of the 2009 season; UMBC ended last season ranked ninth in the USILA coaches poll and Villanove ranked 19th. But the 2010 season is underway and last year’s rankings are gone from the minds of these two teams.

After dealing with last year’s weaknesses and replacing the holes left by graduating seniors, the Retrievers came into this first home scrimmage of the year with many questions about their team. The biggest questions facing UMBC were about choosing a starting goalkeeper and improving on their worst-in-the-NCAA face-off percentage. It was apparent from the early moments of this exhibition that neither question would be answered.

The opening quarter set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Wildcats won the opening face-off and worked the ball with timely passing to put the first goal of the game on the board at the hands of Paul Mita. The UMBC defense tightened up as the quarter moved along, but the Villanova defense stayed strong as well. With only 15 seconds left in the first quarter the Wildcats struck again with their second goal.

Mita opened up the second quarter with another early goal before UMBC got on the score sheet with a goal by Matt Latham, who was assisted by Maxx Davis. This quarter would prove much more eventful; Mita scored his third goal for Villanova with just 12 minutes left in the quarter. The teams would trade goal for goal as both Bobby Stockton and Chris Jones recorded goals, with a Rob Grimm assist on the latter. UMBC went into the half trailing 5-3.

The third quarter proved to be another defensive battle, as each team only managed one goal each. Grimm was responsible for scoring the lone UMBC goal, giving him his second point of the game. After a quick Wildcat goal, Grimm, assisted by Jordan Pierce, recorded his third point early in the fourth quarter. Kyle Wimer added another UMBC goal to bring the Retrievers within one goal of Villanova.

The Villanova offense, however, overpowered the Retrievers, and they recorded another two goals to bring the score to 9-6. But the highlight of the match occurred late in the fourth quarter as UMBC’s Scott Hopmann scored the final goal of the game, using a Canadian tuck to slip through a defensive double-team.

This match-up proved disappointing for the Retrievers, as they lost to Villanova 9-7. Also, they made little progress in choosing their starting goalkeeper, as none of the four potential starters were outstanding. Finally, the team needed more time to find a face-off man, as all three potential players won just one clean draw each during the game.

UMBC will have one more scrimmage to try and answer these questions. They host Loyola (MD) at noon on February 12, at UMBC stadium.

Comments can be sent to aarons1@umbc.edu.

UMBC head men’s lacrosse coach Don Zimmerman and his staff are pleased to welcome 19 newcomers to the Retrievers’ program for the fall of 2009. The largest incoming class in UMBC’s Division I history includes 18 freshmen and one transfer and is comprised of a dozen attackmen/midfielders, six defensemen/long-stick midfielders and one goalkeeper.

“We are excited to have this group of newcomers join the UMBC community,” Coach Zimmerman said. “In addition to providing the program with additional depth, these players have exhibited the strong character and work ethic we believe is the trademark of Retriever lacrosse.”

The Retrievers will compete in a pair of fall tournaments in October. On Saturday, Oct. 10, UMBC will take part in the Third Annual Nick Colleluori Classic in Folsom, Pa, facing Hofstra at 3:00 p.m. and Villanova at 5:00 p.m. Each year the HEADstrong Foundation hosts this lacrosse tournament with all proceeds going towards blood cancer research.

The following Saturday, Oct. 17, Coach Zimmerman’s team will compete in the 12^th Annual Lacrosse for Leukemia Fall Invitational Tournament at Cedar Lane Park in Bel Air, Md. The Retrievers face St. John’s (12:50 p.m.) and Air Force (2:30 p.m.) . Sponsored by Price Modern, Lacrosse for Leukemia showcases top NCAA lacrosse teams while raising funds to further The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

A Glance at the Newcomers

David Brown (M/A, 5-8, 165 lbs., Coopersburg, PA/The Hill School) Brown was named to the Mid-Atlantic Prep League First-Team in his senior year. The four-year varsity starter scored was a career-best 17 goals in the 2008 season.

Adam Cohen (G, 5-7, 170 lbs., Arnold, Md./The Severn School) Cohen was ranked as of the top 15 incoming goalkeepers in Inside lacrosse. A 2009 Ensign C. Markland Kelly award finalist posted a sizzling 68% save percentage in his senior campaign for the Admirals and earned Second-Team All-County honors. Cohen also competed in the 2008 Under Armour game for underclassmen.

Nick Doub (M, 5-10, 170 lbs., Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s) Doub scored 20 goals and added 40 assists and earned Capital Gazette First-Team All-County honors in 2009. He was the Saints’ team captain and named their “Unsung Hero” last spring. Doub was recently listed amongst Inside Lacrosse’s top incoming 40 attackmen.

Matt Gregoire (A, 6-2, 180 lbs., Crofton, Md./South River) Gregoire led the Seahawks to a 4A/3A state championship in 2009, scoring five goals in the title game. He was selected to the First-Team All-County in both his junior and senior seasons and was a Washington Post Second-Team All-Metro honoree  after amassing 46 goals and 16 assists last spring. Gregoire was recently listed amongst Inside Lacrosse’s top incoming 40 attackmen.

Jamie Grimm (LSM, 5-9,200 lbs., Black River, N.Y./Carthage Central) Grimm was named to the Frontier All- League team in all four years of varsity lacrosse for the Comets. Also a two-year letterwinner and Scholar-Athlete in football, he helped lead the team to the state championship game in his junior campaign. Jamie is the younger brother of 2009 America East All-Rookie team member and Retriever attackman Rob Grimm.

Riley Hansen (D, 6-1, 185 lbs., Annapolis, Md./The Salisbury School) As a senior, Hansen received the Salisbury School’s Corkery Medal, which goes to a senior that participates in three sports (lacrosse, cross country, and basketball). He has competed in the Maryland Freestate Top 44 game and the Under Armour game for underclassmen. His older brother, Pat, lettered in lacrosse at Ohio State  and Stevenson.

Scott Hopmann (M, 5-11, 165 lbs.,Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s) Hopmann scored 20 goals and added 16 assists for the fifth-ranked (Inside Lacrosse) Saints in 2009. His best effort was a four-goal, five-point effort against St. Paul’s.  His older brother, Alex, graduated from UMBC in 2009 and earned All-America honors as a senior midfielder.

Joseph Impallaria (M, 5-8 175 lbs., Lutherville, Md./Calvert Hall College) Impallaria won the Calvert Hall Ground Ball Award in 2007, 2008, and 2009, recording 305 ground balls in that span. He won 471 face-offs and maintained a 73% face-off winning percentage from 2007-09. His father, Joseph J. Impallaria, Jr., played lacrosse at the former Western Maryland College (McDaniel College) from 1979-82 and has served three tours of duty in Iraq.

Scott Jones (A, 6-4, 225 lbs., Port Moody, B.C./Terry Fox) Jones was selected as a 2009 Junior A British Columbia First-Team All-Star. He scored 44 goals and added 46 assists in 21 games for the Port Coquitlam Saints last season. Jones’ older brother, Jeff Ratcliffe, lettered in lacrosse from 1997-2000 at UMBC and is currently tenth on the all-time list with 104 goals scored.

Casey Lasda (A/M, 5-9 165 lbs., Syracuse, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) Lasda was selected to the OHSL Section 3 First-Team All-League in 2008 and again in 2009. He earned Honorable Mention All-CNY honors in 2008 and 2009 and played on the Central team in the 2008 Empire State Games. Lasda was recently listed amongst Inside Lacrosse’s top incoming 40 attackmen.

Neill Lewnes (M, 5-7, 160 lbs, Arnold, Md./St. Mary’s) Lewnes scored 11 goals, added 14 assists, corralled a team-best 108 ground balls and won 63 percent of his draws for St. Mary’s.  He was selected to the First-Team All-County and All-MIAA team in 2009. Lewnes was the team’s Most Valuable Player and its team captain and the All-County tailback, who rushed for over 1,200 yards,  also captained the Saints’ football team in 2008.

Joe Lustgarten (A, 5-10, 150 lbs, Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River)  In prep career, Lustgarten scored 105 goals and added 149 assists, including a senior campaign which featured 33 goals and had 43 helpers. He earned All-America honors from the state of New York (Suffolk County) in 2009. Lustgarten was three- time All Suffolk County Selection and a three-time All-Division selection. As a sophomore, he scored a career-best 38 goals and 100 points and led the Wildcats to a state championship.

Sam McKelvey (D, 6-0, 175 lbs., Davidsonville, Md./South River) McKelvey was the winner of the prestigious 4A/3A C. Markland Kelly Award after a brilliant senior campaign. The close defender was selected First-Team All-Metro (Washington Post) and First-Team All-County and Second-Team All-Metro by The Baltimore Sun.  He also earned First-Team Mid-Atlantic/South honors by U.S. Lacrosse and earned a 4A/3A state title with the Seahawks last spring.

Ethan Murphy (D, 6-0, 180 lbs., West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca East) During his prep career, Murphy had 514 groundballs, 27 goals, and 13 assists. He earned All-America honors as a senior for the New York-Buffalo region. Murphy was named West Seneca’s Male Athlete of the Year, by the West Seneca Bee and was a two-time First-Team All-Western New York honoree.

Joey Placek (M/A, 5-10, 170 lbs., Laurel, Md./Atholton) Placek was named the Raiders’ Most Valuable Player as a senior. He earned All-County honors in both 2007 and 2009 and served as the team captain last spring. Placek scored a career-high eight goals and added four assists in an overtime win over rival Hammond in his sophomore campaign.

Tony Spada (M, 5-11, 165 lbs, Kingston, N.Y./Saugerties) Spada is a two-time U.S. Lacrosse All-American from the New York-Mid-Hudson region. He was the first junior in New York state Section 9 history to be named an All-American. Spada was a three-time Section 9 First-Team midfielder and was the 2009 Times Herald Record Lacrosse Player-of-the-Year. His Saugerties teams have won six consecutive Section 9 championships.

David Stock (Jr., D, 6-0, 175 lbs., Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township/CCBC –Essex) At CCBC-Essex, Stock was named First-Team All-American by the NJCAA. He also earned Region XX Most Valuable Defensive Player in 2009. Stock was named to First-Team All-Region and to the First-Team All-Maryland JUCO squad.  He was selected First-Team All-League, and was an All-District defenseman while at Manheim Township.

Lucas Wood (D, 6-2, 185 lbs., Columbus, Ohio/Worthington-Kilbourne)  Wood was a three-time First Team All-Region selection and was named to First-Team All-OCC. He also earned First-Team All-Midwest and Second-Team All-Ohio honors in 2009. He helped the Wolves win a state championship as a last spring. Wood also captured the school’s Gold Key Award winner, which is given to a student for having a 3.5 grade-point average through the senior year.

Jake Zimmerman (5-11, 170 lbs., Baltimore, Md./Boys’ Latin)  Zimmerman received the Jack Williams Cup for Sportsmanship in his senior year with the Lakers. The son of UMBC head coach Don Zimmerman, Jake also earned the captain’s award for varsity lacrosse. He also lettered in football for Boys’ Latin and earned academic honor roll recognition during the 2008-09 academic year.