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UMBC Sports Blog 2009-2010 Athletic Awards

Corey Johns — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:08:01 +0000

Lets break down the 2009-2010 athletic season: one championship (Swimming and Diving), four second place finished (Women’s Lacrosse, Men’s Soccer, Men’s Tennis, and Women’s Swimming and Diving), and a bevy of all-conference players. It is really easy to say it was a down season for UMBC, but that is just because the marquee sports struggled. Men’s Lacrosse took a step back after being one of the most dominating teams in the conference for several years; men’s Basketball went from back-to-back finals appearances to just a 4-26 record; women’s Basketball took nationally ranked Virginia to the brink in the season opener but failed to move up from where they were last year despite so much returning talent; baseball had their second-straight nine win season; women’s soccer finished in last place again, and softball wasted a hot start to the season and missed the conference tournament. But there are plenty of other sports that had a lot of success. Men’s Soccer was picked to finished dead last this season, but proved to have one of the most dominating offenses in the nation, led by the N.C.A.A.’s two top scorers and finished in the America East Conference finals. Women’s lacrosse finally got into the AEC tournament, but upset the goliath University at Albany in the semi-finals and lost by just one to Boston University in the finals. Swimming and Diving? Well they just proved to be absolutely dominating once again. The men’ won their 13th straight league championship while the women finished right near the top again. Men’s tennis proved to be one of the most consistent teams at UMBC and made a trip back to the AEC finals, coming up just short of a championship, but showed significant improvement. Track and Field also had some absolutely dominating athletes across the board. Victor Gilreath and Keith Onto were untouchable in their events, while Sara Parkinson was an all-conference player in all three season. A lot of good things happened for UMBC this year, and they set the school up for a phenomenal year in 2010-2011. So without further adieu, here are the yearly UMBC Sports Blog Awards for the 2009-2010 athletic year:

Top Coach

Pete Caringi, Men’s Soccer

While Chad Cradock brought home UMBC’s only championship, it’s hard not to give the award to Caringi. His team was picked to finish in eighth place in an eight team conference with 14 freshmen and sophomores, an unproven goalie, and only one player returning with more than three goals in 2008. But right away, the Caringi-lead team showed that it really was a new season. The team started 9-0, were nationally ranked during the season, and got to the finals for the first time in nine years, and finished with 14 wins, the most since the 2000 season.

Male Freshman of the Year

Phil Saunders, Men’s Soccer

This ear the soccer team was about a very high scoring offense, but Phil Saunders was still phenomenal in goal. First, goalie very well may the toughest position on a soccer field. He not only has to stop a ball being hit at him at 70 m.p.h., but he also has to set up everybody’s position on the field. He’s the leader of the team, the quarterback. But Saunders excelled at the position. He shut out six teams and allowed an average of just one goal per game.

Female Freshman of the Year

Jamie Fahey, Women’s Lacrosse

The list of accomplishments and awards for Jamie Fahey this year is just remarkable. After her freshman season Fahey was honored with and All-Rookie selection, Rookie of the Year, Second team All-AEC, Mid-Atlantic Second Team honors by the Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association, and All-Rookie team honors by womenslacrosse.com. While Fahey was a defender, her speed and ball handling ability made her a threat to score every time she touched the ball. She is certainly one of the cornerstones of the team that will contend for a championship next year.

Best Male Performance

Courtesy www.umbcxctf.wordpress.com

Keith Onto, Men’s Track and Field, 7,239 points in Decathlon at AEC Championships

Winning one event is a big feat, but winning six events in order to do that is just amazing. Keith Onto broke an AEC Championship record with 7,239 points in the heptathlon as he won the 400-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles, long jump, high jump, javelin, and Discus, while coming in second in the 100-meter dash and shot put, and third in the 1,500-meter run and pole vault. Onto finished with 577 points more than the second place finisher.

Best Female Performance

Carlee Cassidy, Women’s Basketball, Leads the team to a 23-points comeback over Boston University on her senior day

In her final game at RAC arena Carlee Cassidy scored 25 points with nine rebounds and three assists. But 16 of those points came in the second half during a 23-point comeback. UMBC fell into a big hole early to Boston University and trailed by 23 points early in the second half. But Carlee Cassidy got hot after that and led her team to a miraculous comeback, sending her out on top.

Best Moment

Courtesy www.umbcretrievers.com

Men’s Swimming and Diving wins 13th straight league title

After a 12-year period of dominance the men’s swimming and diving team was supposed to finally be overthrown as AEC Champions by a heavily favored Boston U team. Boston U returned every key contributor from the year before while UMBC lost some key swimmers. But as always, people stepped up and the reign of dominance was not ended after a dozen victories. The team came together, guys stepped up, others overachieved, and the team won their 13th straight league title and 7th straight AEC title.

Most Improved Male Athlete

Courtesy www.umbcxctf.wordpress.com

Camal Pugh, Men’s Track and Field

Good but never great- that was Camal Pugh’s reputation as an athlete on the track and field team for three years. But in his senior year he changed that. Pugh went from a guy who would contribute to his teams total every once in a while to one of the best runners on the team. During the indoor season he won two golds, three silvers, and a spot in the I.C.4.A. Championships. During the outdoor season, he remained the teams top hurdler every time out, and won a gold at the AEC Championship meet, and once again, qualified for the I.C.4.A. Championships.

Most Improved Female Athlete

Erika Braerman, Women’s Lacrosse

Last season Erika Braerman just had to pass the ball inside to the teams big guns. But this year, she was one of them. As a freshman Braerman scored just nine goals and had 11 assists but this year she led the team with 54 points off a team high 22 assists, and 32 goals, which ranked second on the team. Braerman learned her new role fast, and really excelled at it, making her another cornerstone of the women’s lacrosse team’s future success.

Unsung Male Hero

Mike Camardo, Men’s Lacrosse

It is really stunning to see that with everything Mike Camardo has done in his career, he has only been named to the AEC Second-team just two times in his career. He’s never been a first-team player or All-American. But when watching Mike Camardo you can tell he was always the best player on the field for both sides. His job was not to score, or set up the offense. It was to shut down the opposing offense and he did just that. In 13 games Camardo caused 36 turnovers (2.76 per game) and scooped up 54 ground balls (4.15 per game). As a long stick midfielder he was never the spotlight of the team, but he was usually up against the teams top offensive player, and usually won the battle.

Unsung Female Athlete

Kira Giles, Volleyball

When you’re a setter in Volleyball it is only natural for you to get overlooked. The credit always went to Ashley Oscars, Alyssa Lang, and Naomi Bush for smacking the ball down for kills, and for good reason. But Kira Giles was iatrical in all of that happening. As the setter she not only had to lob the ball up for them to hit, but she had to do it in the right place, which she did 633 times during the season. But she also contributed everywhere else on the floor, tying for second with 16 service aces, finished fourth with 171 digs, and fifth with 28 blocks.

Fan’s Choice Male Athlete of the Year

Andrew Bulls, Men’s soccer

Andrew Bulls ran away with the fan vote, more than doubling the second place finisher. With 15 goals and 11 assists, Bulls finished the regular season as the nations leading scorer and earned the AEC Striker of the Year award. It didn’t take long to see that Bulls was headed for a spectacular season. He scored four goals and had five assists after the first week of games and was named Player of the Week by collegesoccernews.com. He started the season with a score in 11 straight games, tying Giuliano Celenza’s streak set in 2000. He became the faster Retriever to score eight goals (six games) in their D-I history and finished second in the nation with 26 points, only behind his teammate Levi Houapeu.

Fan’s Choice Female Athlete of the Year

Fan’s just could not pick between the two seniors as they both finished with the same number of votes.

Carlee Cassidy, Women’s Basketball

Carlee Cassidy is certainly one of UMBC’s greatest scorers and continued to prove it as a senior with 13.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.3 three-pointers, and a 36.1 FG% and 32.0 3-pt%.

Amanda Fefel, Softball

Fefel is also arguably one of the best players in the softball team’s history. This year she not only dominated at the plate, totaling 53 hits, 13 home runs, 35 RBIs, 101 total bases, a .631 slugging percentage, and 40% on-base percentage. She also dominated on the mound with a team-best 2.64 ERA and four saves. She eventually moved back into the starting rotation as the season wore on. This year she also became UMBC’s all-time leader in home runs as she hit her 41st career home run. She finished the season with her fourth-straight first-team All-AEC selection, and also earned an ECAC all-star selection.

Male Athlete of the Year

Levi Houapeu, Men’s Soccer

When you’re the nation’s leading scorer and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year it’s hard not to be the UMBC Sports Blog Player of the Year. The fact is, Levi Houapeu was just absolutely dominate this year and was a huge reason the team was really successful. His speed and scoring ability opened up the other offensive players, but was also just too good for his opponents to stop. He finished the season with 28 points off 15 goals and 13 assists. He recorded two hat tricks this season, becoming the first to do so since Derek McElligott in 2001. After being injured as a sophomore, he came back and helped lead the team to their first AEC finals since 2000, and put them back on the map for next year.

Female Athlete of the Year

Courtesy www.umbcxctf.wordpress.com

Sara Parkinson, Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field

While she did not win the award for any particular season, it is hard to break her success down into just on because, well, she competed in three seasons. Parkinson was always her team’s top performer and that showed with her awards at the end of those seasons. She received all-conference three times in the 2009-2010 athletic year, which to say the least, is impressive. Being named All-AEC for one sport is a big accomplishment, but to carry that level of success into three seasons is very tough to do.

UMBC Sports Blog Spring Awards

Corey Johns — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:05:21 +0000

Once again an athletic season did not quite live up to its expectations. The men’s lacrosse team looked like a shell of itself of the last four years, the softball team started out hot and sunk fast and missed out on the play-offs, and the baseball team suffered a second straight nine win campaign. But this season was about the women’s lacrosse team. The team is no longer a gimme’ win for teams and in her first year as coach Kelly Berger took the team to their first ever America East Conference Championship, where they lost by just one goal. There are a lot of bright spots heading into the future after this season, even with some down teams. But as for this years awards:

Top Coach

Kelly Berger, Women’s Lacrosse

It should be no surprise who the top coach award should go to this season. Once again, in just her first season Kelly Berger got the team into no only their first AEC tournament in four years, but their first ever AEC Championship. In the last few years the team was one that could not really compete in the AEC, but that all changed with the coaching change that the athletic department made last summer. This year the team beat everybody they were supposed to beat, and played some good lacrosse against some quality teams. While they were near elimination from the tournament they got a big road win to clinch a berth, upset undefeated (in conference play) University at Albany in the first round, and lost by just one to Boston University. In just one year Berger turned the team into one that never could quite get the win, into a favorite for next year’s championship.

Male Freshman of the Spring

Nick Doub, Men’s Lacrosse

It’s not very often that an unproven freshman comes in mid-season and takes over a starting spot that was held by the team’s leading scorer, but Nick Doube did just that. He replaced Bobby Stockton, who at that point led the team with 12 goals, in the starting midfield and shined. While he ended the season with four goals and two assists, what made him keep his spot was his ability on defense and his superb passing skills kept him in the lineup for not only this year, but most likely for the next three years of his career.

Female Freshman of the Spring

Jamie Fahey, Women’s Lacrosse

Jamie Fahey was a major reason the women’s lacrosse team ended where they did. Not only did she play lock-down defense, but when she got the ball she was always a threat to take it up for a goal. With exceptional speed and great ball handling, she looks like she’s going to be one of the top players on the team for years to come. After her season she was named to the All-Rookie Team, Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-AEC, and was named to the Mid-Atlantic Second team by the Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association and All-Rookie team by womenslacrosse.com

Best Male Performance:

Keith Onto, Men’s Track and Field, 7,239 points in Decathlon

The decathlon was an event invented to find out who the best athlete in the world is, and when it mattered the most Keith Onto had a beyond stellar performance in as he won at the AEC Championships with 7,239 points. He won the 400-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles, long jump, high jump, Javelin, and Discus, finished second in the 100-meter dash and shot put, third in the 1,500-meter run and pole vault. The second place finished totaled just 6,662 points.

Best Female Performance

Emily Coady, Women’s Lacrosse, Eight Goals in AEC Tournament

While many players had great single game performances, nothing compared to the two game performances Emily Coady had at the AEC tournament. In an upset of UAlbany in the semi-finals Coady scored four goals in a two goal victory. Going into that game UAlbany was undefeated in conference play, but Coady’s performance lifted UMBC past the Great Danes and into their first ever AEC championship game, where once again, she shined. While the team ended up losing in the finals to heavily favored Boston U, Coady scored four goals for a second straight game as the team lost by just one goal. Her eight goals in two games nearly gave UMBC a championship, and left them as a serious contender for next year.

Best Moment

Women’s Lacrosse Upsets UAlbany, 11-9 in AEC Tournament

I’ve been mentioning the game the entire time, it was a huge upset. UAlbany was heavily favored, had a 13-2 overall record and were 6-0 in conference play, and beat UMBC in the regular season on UMBCs own turf. But when it mattered the most UMBC got their revenge with an 11-10 victory over the Great Danes to make it to their first ever AEC Championship game.

Most Improved Male Athlete

Brian Klukowicz, Baseball

Even though the Baseball team struggled for a second straight season, Brian Klukowicz gave the team hope for the future. As a freshman he appeared in just eight games and made 18 at-bats. He had just one hit. But this year Klukowicz became a very reliable hitter that the team can build around. He played in ever game, started all but three, hit .286 with four home runs, and reached base 35% of the time. He also led the team in runs with 26, and had 17 RBIs.

Most Improved Female Athlete

Erika Braerman, Women’s Lacrosse

It’s hard to say she improved because she was very good last year, but was just in a different role. Last season Erika Braerman just had to be a solid passer who could help set up the offense, this year, she was the offense. Braerman went from scoring nine goals with 11 assists last year to leading the team with 54 points off 32 goals and a team high 22 points. It did not take long for Braerman to grow into her new role, and with her return next season, the team has a lot of hope for a championship.

Unsung Male Athlete

Mike Camardo, Men’s Lacrosse

How much more unsung can you get than Mike Camardo. The man very well may be the best player the team has ever had and he’s never even made it to the first team All-AEC. He may not have the sexiest position, long stick midfielder, but he is great at what he does. He’s not a guy who is going to score a lot, just one goal and two assists this year, but defensively he is phenomenal. He once again led the team with 54 ground balls and 36 caused turnovers. Camardo’s job was to shut down the opposing offense, and make chances for his offense, and that is just what he did.

Unsung Female Athlete

Kate Quick, Women’s Lacrosse

This year was about the high powered offense the women’s lacrosse team had the outscored their opponents 223-160, but lost in all that was a great play of former first team All-AEC goalie Kate Quick. In 10032:08 minutes she saved 126 goals and helped make all of that offense happen. While she did not have nearly as much success as last year, she was still a staple in goal, starting all 18 games the Retrievers played, and did her part to not only save shots, but set up the defense however the team needed.

Fan’s Choice Male Athlete of the Spring

Victor Gilreath, Men’s Track and Field

Coming off an incredibly impressive winter season, Gilreath absolutely dominated in the fall season, totaling seven medals in six events, including four gold medals in the triple jump and one silver medal in the high jump.

Fan’s Choice Female Athlete of the Spring

Amanda Fefel, Softball

While the softball team sputtered in conference play and missed making the AEC tournament, Amanda Fefel capped of a phenomenal career with a great season. This season she led the team in nearly every offensive category, totaling 53 hits, 13 home runs, 35 RBIs, 101 total bases, a .631 slugging percentage, and reaching base 40 percent of the time. She was also second on the team with a .331 batting percentage and 33 runs. But she also dominated on the mound, leading the team with a 2.64 ERA and four saves. This year she also broke the all-time UMBC softball home run record, hitter her 41st career home run, became the only retriever named to four straight first-team all-conference teams, and earned an ECAC all-star selection.

Male Athlete of the Spring

Victor Gilreath, Men’s Track and Field

Once again, Gilreath was just absolutely dominant in his second season since transferring from University of Maryland and when it mattered the most he did great. Gilreath won gold at the America East Conference Championship with a leap of 15.45 meters, breaking a 19-year-old championship record. He also started the season with three straight gold medals, a third place finish at the IC4A Championships and a 43rd place finish at the NCAA Regional Championships.

Female Athlete of the Spring

Emily Coady, Women’s Lacrosse

She may be just a sophomore, but Emily Coady has proven to be the future of the women’s lacrosse team. This year she led the team with 35 goals and added eight assists to finish second on the team with 43 total points. She also finished fourth on the team with 20 ground balls. Emily Coady proved right away in her freshman season that she was going to be a very reliable player for the women’s lacrosse team, but this year she took her game to an all-new level. Even though she missed being named to an All-Conference team she ran the high powered offense from behind the net, opened up everybody else for good opportunities, and created her own. In the AEC tournament she scored four goals in both games as the fourth-seeded Retrievers upset UAlbany and came up just one goal shy against Boston U in the conference finals.

**Photos of Kelly Berger, track and field athletes, and Brian Klukowicz courtesy of UMBC athletics.

Grimm Scores Three But Men’s Lax Falls To Albany In First Round Of AEC Tournament, 11-7

Corey Johns — Wed, 05 May 2010 02:47:21 +0000

Rob Grimm recorded three goal in a losing effort against UAlbany in an 11-7 loss.

After getting a quick goal UAlbany scored four straight in less than two minutes and really set the pace for the game. After that the Retrievers just could not seem to keep with the Great Danes and scored just one goal during the middle quarters of the game. Rob Grimm led the team with three goals but the UAlbany defense just completely shut down the Retrievers by putting Mike Banks on Kyle Wimer and first team all-conference defender on Rob Grimm. Through Grimm scored three times the team’s two best passers could not get the ball around, especially inside to Latham.

The men’s lacrosse team has been eliminated from any chance at a post season appearance and fell to 4-9 on the season.

Preview:

UMBC (4-8, 3-2 AEC)
A- Rob Grimm (13 goals, 10 assists, 18 GB)
A- Matt Latham (25 goals, 2 assists, 20 GB)
A- Chris Jones (4 goals, 1 assist, 12 GB)
M- Jamie Kimbles (11 goals, 8 assists, 14 GB)
M- Kyle Wimer (16 goals, 19 assists, 17 GB)
M- Nick Doub (4 goals, 2 assists, 2 GB)
SSM- Maxx Davis (6 goals, 7 assists, 31 GB, 12 CT)
LSM- Mike Camardo (1 goal, 2 assists, 47 GB, 35 CT)
D- Tim Shaeffer (15 GB, 1 CT)
D- Matt Kresse (1 goal, 13 GB, 6 CT)
D- Aaron Verardi (3 GB, 2 CT)
GK- Adam Cohen (52 saves, 66 GA, 44.1 save%)
FO- J.D. Harkey (92-100, 47.9 FO%, 23 GB)

Key Reserves:
A- Shane Ryznar (9 goals, 1 assist, 1 GB)
A- Scott Jones (2 goals, 0 assists, 1 GB)
M- Bobby Stockton (12 goals, 3 assists, 6 GB)
M- Ryan Shields (0 goals, 2 assists, 3 GB)
SSM- Jordan Peirce (23 GB, 5 CT)
SSM- Mike Bryan (14 GB, 7 CT)
LSM- Sam Eitel (6 GB, 0 CT)
D- Brian Schneider (2 GB, 0 CT)
D- Sam McKelvey (4 GB, 0 CT)

Key Wins: vs. Albany (12-7), @ Vermont (8-7 OT)
Key Losses: @ Johns Hopkins (16-10), vs. Hartford (14-12)

Albany (4-10, 3-2 AEC)
A- Dave Brock (30 goals, 5 assists, 30 GB)
A- Kyle Brunk (10 goals, 0 assists, 9 GB)
A- Nate Sullivan (4 goals, 0 assists, 2 GB)
M- Matt Mackenzie (1 goal, 3 assists, 54 GB)
M- Kyle Crotty (0 goals, 2 assists, 32 GB)
D- Mark Kelly (38 GB, 22 CT)
D- Brendan Gleason (21 GB, 24 CT)
D- Travis Lyons (13 GB, 3 CT)
D- Mike Banks (16 GB, 11 CT)
GK- John Carroll (166 Saves, 157 GA, 51.4 save%)

Key Reserves:
A- Matt Johnson (6 goals, 5 assists, 11 GB)
A- Derek Kreuzer (9 goals, 1 assist, 10 GB)
A- Will Fuller (1 goal, 2 assists, 3 GB)
M- Jack Reynolds (7 goals, 2 assists, 11 GB)
M- Luke Cometti (5 goals, 2 assists, 11 GB)
M- Rocky Bonitatibus (5 goals, 1 assists, 19 GB)
M- Mark Cometti (3 goals, 3 assists, 7 GB)
M- Dwayne Stewart (4 goals, 0 assists, 15 GB)
M- Daley Baker (2 goals, 0 assists, 5 GB)
M- Mike Finnegan (1 goal, 1 assist, 12 GB)
M- Mike Kehoe (6 GB, 2 CT)
M- Mike Woods (7 GB, 2 CT)
D- Scott Raffensperger (24 GB, 6 CT)
D- Anthony Ostrander (23 GB, 6 CT)

Key Wins: vs. Bucknell (7-6), vs. Vermont (9-4)
Key Losses: @ UMBC (12-7), vs. Stony Brook (15-0)

What was once a game of two of the top teams in the country has quickly fallen to be a battle between two four win teams fighting to get an automatic qualifier for the N.C.A.A. tournament, which would be the only way either team could get in.

In the Great Danes game against University of Vermont their top player, Brian Caufield, suffered a season ending jaw injury. After two losses, to UMBC and Stony Brook, following the injury, University at Albany switched everything and beat Binghamton University in the final game of the season.

UMBC on the other hand lost all momentum from their three game winning streak with a very flat effort against University of Hartford that ended their season and sent the seniors out with a loss.

While both teams have struggled scoring, and playing defense this season, they both have good players who can get hot at any time and lead their team to a win. The problem for both however has been getting everything together for the same 60 minutes.

Pregame:

Starters:

Albany-
A- Dave Brock
A- Kyle Brunk
A- Matt Johnson
M- Matt Mackenzie
M- Kyle Crotty
D- Mark kelly
D- Brendan Gleason
D- Travis Lyons
D- Mike Banks
GK- John Carroll

UMBC-
A- Rob Grimm
A- Chris Jones
A- Matt Latham
M- Jamie Kimbles
M- Kyle Wimer
M- Nick Doub
D- Tim Shaeffer
D- Matt Kresse
D- Lance Ophof
GK- Adam Cohen

The winner knows they have to go through Stony Brook to get to the championship. Both teams have lost to them but right now they are worried about getting to the game. UMBC beat Albany during the regular season but the Great Danes have made quite a few changes since that loss. Needless to say these are two teams with a lot of talent but records that don’t show it.

First Quarter:

Albany (Mackenzie) wins opening face-off

12:25- UMBC goal, Maxx Davis made a dodge and ripped a high shot for the first score. 1-0

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

10:21- UAlbany goal, Jack Reynolds ripped in low shot from 12 yards out to tie the game. 1-1

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

9:30- UAlbany goal, Mike Woods got a quick goal in transition for the go ahead goal, 2-1 UA

UAlbany (MacKenzie) wins face-off

8:59- UAlbany goal, The Great Danes got another quick goal right againt off the stick of Reynolds again. 3-1 UA

UAlbany (Mackenzie) wins face-off

8:40- UAlbany goal, in 1:41 UAlbany made a good good UMBC start into a nightmare as Anthony Ostrander hit another goal for the Great Danes. 4-1 UA

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

6:37- UMBC goal, Chris Jones just broke the UAlbany scoring streak with a high shot for his fifth goal of the season. 4-2 UMBC

UAlbany (Mackenzie) wins face-off

3:32- UMBC goal, Chris Jones recorded his first multi goal game of the season with another high shot, this one from 7 yards out after getting a pass from Rob Grimm. 4-3 UMBC

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

END OF FIRST QUARTER- UAlbany 4, UMBC 3

Second Quarter-

UAlbany (Mackenzie) wins face-off

6:59- UAlbany goal, Dwayne Stewart just crashed inside and shot the ball from right to left to go up two on the Retrievers. 5-3 UA

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

6:03- UMBC goal, Rob Grimm drop around the net and while still running away from the goal he flicked it from 8 yards out to get back within one. 5-4 UA

UAlbany (Mackenzie) wins face-off

2:30- UAlbany goal, Dwayne Stewart just ripped a high shot info the goal from 18 yards out. UMBC just cannot seem to get any sort of momentum going and are always just a step behind. 6-4 UA

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

END OF SECOND QUARTER: UAlbany 6, UMBC 4

That 4 goal run in 1:41 by UAlbany set the tone of the game and while it’s a fast-paced game UMBC is just always a step behind. Two Great Danes have scored two goals, most of which have come in transition. While the face-offs are even this game Adam Cohen has struggled in goal, only getting two saves, however, the defense has not helped his case much either.

Third Quarter:

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

6:29- UAlbany goal, Matt Johnson received a quick pass inside from Keith Olson for another UAlbany goal. 7-4 UA

UAlbany (Mackenzie) wins face-off

5:25- UAlbany goal, Dave Brock was not going to go scoreless for the entire game and for his first goal he took advantage of a man-up situation. 8-4 UA

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

END OF THIRD QUARTER: UAlbany 8, UMBC 4

Fourth Quarter:

No face-off, UMBC has EMO

12:45- UMBC goal, Maxx Davis found a charging Rob Grimm who ripped a shot from right in front of the goal, ending a 20:47 scoring drought. 8-5 UA

UAlbany (Mackenzie) wins face-off

9:37- UAlbany goal, Rocky Bonitatibus ripped in a pass from Matt Johnson for the four goal advantage on UMBC. 9-4 UA.

GOALIE CHANGE- replacing Adam Cohen in goal is senior Kevin Kohri

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

5:24- UAlbany goal, Dave Brock dove on the ground for the ground ball and while hitting the ground he shot the ball at the bottom of the goal and pretty much put the game away for the Great Danes. 10-5 UA

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

4:00- UMBC goal, Maxx Davis found Jamie Kimbles right in front of the goal who jumped and hit the shot right over the UAlbany goalie. 10-6 UA

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

3:14- UAlbany goal, Kevin Kohri went for a double team and was out of position leaving an open net for Mike Kehoe for his first goal of the season. 11-6 UA

UMBC (Harkey) wins face-off

0:17- UMBC goal, while the game is wrapped up Rob Grimm scored on a pass from Jamie Kimbles. 11-7 UA

UAlbany (Mackenzie) wins facee-off

FINAL SCORE: UAlbany 11, UMBC 7

Seven Named to All-Conference Squad For Men’s Lacrosse

Corey Johns — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:29:44 +0000

Kyle Wimer was one of just four unanimous All-America East Conference selections.

Having a 4-8 record did not prevent the Retrievers from packing the All-America East Conference teams once again. With a 3-2 conference record, finishing in second place, seven members of the team earned All-AEC selections.

With 16 goals and 19 assists senior Kyle Wimer led the Retrievers in points and extended his scoring streak to 31 straight games. Wimer moved into 15th place in UMBC history with 133 career points. He was one of just four unanimous selections for the All-AEC team.

Joining Wimer on the first team were three other seniors. Matt Latham earned his first first-team selection after being a second team pick the last two years. This year he led UMBC with 25 goals, 16 of which came in conference play. He has 86 career goals, and was second in the nation in shooting percentage, scoring 25 times in 47 shots (53.2%).

After struggling as a junior, Maxx Davis reinvented himself as a defensive midfielder and earned first team honors as a short stick midfielder. His 31 ground balls is second on the team but excelled on both sides of the ball with six goals and 7 assists. He scored three, including a game-winning overtime goal, against University of Vermont.

Matt Kresse has been an overshadowed defender for the majority of his career but has been one of the most consistent ones in the conference four four years. He has started 49 of 60 in his career and picked up 12 ground balls and caused six turnovers this year. Against University of Hartford he scored his first career goal off his first career shot.

On the second team was senior long-stick midfielder Mike Camardo, who was second in the nation with 2.91 per game. His totals of 47 ground balls and 35 caused turnovers both led the team. He also scored one goal and two assists as the defensive long-stick midfielders.

Midway through the season freshman Nick Doub was moved into the first midfield unit, replacing Bobby Stockton, who led the team with 12 goals after six games. His polished game and good passing ability kept him on the unit and he scored four goals and two assists as a freshman. Because of his efforts he was named to the AEC All-rookie team.

Finally, while on the field accomplishment are very impressive, Chris Jones earned his third straight selection to the AEC All-Academic team after maintaining a 3.45 GPA as an economics major. His four goals and one assist this year put him over the 50-point plateau for his career.

Men’s Lacrosse Falls To Hartford, 14-12 Live Blog

Corey Johns — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:08:20 +0000

Senor defender Matt Kresse score his first career goal in his last game at UMBC stadium.

For a second straight year Hartford ended a winning streak by UMBC. After going up 4-0 UMBC went cold and just played sloppy ball as they lost on senior day. Matt Latham led the team with four goals while Kyle Wimer scored two and Matt Kresse scored his first career goal but the team could not get face-off wins, losing the battle 24-6.

UMBC will host an America East Conference Tournament Semi-finals game on Wednesday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Preview:

Probable Starters:

UMBC (4-7, 1-4):
A- Matt Latham (21 goals, 1 assist, 18 GB)
A- Chris Jones (3 goals, 0 assists, 12 GB)
A- Rob Grimm (12 goals, 9 assists, 15 GB)
M- Kyle Wimer (14 goals, 18 assists, 17 GB)
M- Jamie Kimbles (10 goals, 7 assists, 11 GB)
M- Maxx Davis (5 goals, 4 assists, 31 GB, 12 CT)
LSM- Mike Camardo (1 goal, 2 assists, 41 GB, 32 CT)
D- Tim Shaeffer (13 GB, 0 CT)
D- Matt Kresse (10 GB, 5 CT)
D- Aaron Verardi (3 GB, 2 CT)
G- Adam Cohen (43 Saves, 52 GA, 45.3 save%)
FO- J.D. Harkey (88-92, 48.9 FO%, 23 GB)

Key Reserves:
A- Shane Ryznar (9 goals, 1 assist, 7 GB)
M- Nick Doub (4 goals, 2 assists, 2 GB)
M- Bobby Stockton (12 goals, 3 assists, 6 GB)
M- Ryan Shields (0 goals, 2 assists, 3 GB)
M- Scott Jones (1 goal, 0 assists, 1 GB)
M- Dave Brown (0 goals, 1 assists, 1 GB)
SSM- Jordan Peirce (20 GB, 5 CT)
SSM- Mike Bryan (10 GB, 6 CT)
D- Sam McKelvey (4 GB, 0 CT)
D- Sam Eitel (4 GB, 0 CT)
D- Brian Shneider (2 GB, 0 CT)
D- Lance Ophof (10 GB, 6 CT)

Key Wins: @ Binghamton (12-6), Albany (12-7)
Key Losses: Delaware (11-10 3OT), @ Johns Hopkins (16-10)

Hartford (3-10, 0-4)
A- Aiden Genik (34 goals, 9 assists, 14 GB)
A- Justin Bearse (14 goals, 10 assists, 16 GB)
A- Ryan Compitello (8 goals, 18 assists, 19 GB)
M- Rory Nunamacher (8 goals, 3 assists, 17 GB)
M- Tim Fallon (3 goals, 3 assists, 117 GB)
LSM- Will Ricciardi (4 GB, 3 CT)
D- Scott Kressler (3 GB, 2 CT)
D- Ben Knapton (1 goal, 1 assists, 32 GB, 17 CT)
D- Steve Groccia (14 GB, 4 CT)
D- Dan Gillespie (7 GB, 5 CT)
GK- Scott Bement (130 saves, 147 GA, 46.9 save%)
FO- Tim Fallon (184-120, 60.5 FO%, 117 GB)

Key Reserves:
A- Sean King (3 goals, 0 assists, 1 GB)
M- Carter Bender (16 goals, 14 assists, 9 GB)
M- Austin Rogers (1 goal, 0 assists, 1 GB)
M- Michael Cudmore (7 goals, 13 assists, 42 GB)
M- Jared Franze (17 goals, 1 assist, 12 GB)
M- Martin Bowes (6 goals, 1 assist, 11 GB)
M- Vinny Pelizzi (2 goals, 2 assists, 8 GB)
M- Kyle Goodchild (3 goals, 0 assists, 1 GB)
M- Kevin Whelan (2 goals, 0 assists, 2 GB)
M- Leif Abrahamson (1 goal, 0 assists, 7 GB)
SSM- Brendan Marlow (19 GB, 1 CT)

Key Wins: Siena[N] (13-11), Holy Cross (10-6)
Key Losses: Fairfield (12-9), Vermont (13-6)

After a bad start to the season the men’s lacrosse team is on a roll, playing very good lacrosse, and already clinched a number two seed in the America East Conference Tournament. But that does not mean the team has nothing to play for in this game, in fact this is a game everybody has been looking forward to since the team was upset by the Hawks in Hartford last year. Also, it is senior day and the largest senior class ever will be honored before the game and looking to go out on top with a win.

UMBC is doing a lot of things right right now. They are getting ground balls, they are shutting offenses down, and they are hitting shots with accuracy. If the team can continue to do those things they should be able to get a fourth straight win going into the AEC semi-final game.

Check Back Tomorrow For The Live Blog!

Pregame:

We’re just under 40 minutes away from the start and it is perfect lacrosse weather, great atmosphere, and 16 seniors will be honored before the start of the game.

Starters:

UMBC:
A- Rob Grimm
A- Chris Jones
A- Matt Latham
M- Jamie Kimbles
M- Kyle Wimer
M- Nick Doub
D- Tim Shaeffer
D- Matt Kresse
D- Aaron Verardi
GK- Adam Cohen

Hartford:
A- Aidan Genik
A- Justin Bearse
A- Austin Rogers
M- Michael Cudmore
M- Tim Fallon
M- Ben Knapton
D- Scott Kessler
D- Steve Groccia
D- Dan Gillespie
GK- Scott Bement

Stay Tuned

First Quarter:

Hartford (Fallon) wins opening face-off

10:36- UMBC goal, Rich May drove inside and hit a pass up to Matt Latham coming around the goal. Latham faked high and low and hit the high shot for the goal. 1-0 UMBC