Retrievers

UMBC opens play in the America East this Saturday with a visit to Hartford. The Hawks began the season with three consecutive losses, won three straight and then dropped a 13-11 decision to Massachusetts last Saturday. Despite Hartford's uneven campaign thus far, the Retrievers (3-5) are fully aware of how much improvement the Hawks have made since February. “I see a vastly improved team from the beginning of the year to where they are now,” coach Don Zimmerman said. “If you look at their first three games, I think their offense averaged a little under six goals per game.

The first half of the season has ended with UMBC compiling a 3-5 record. But the next five weeks may be more important -- and even more rewarding -- for the men's lacrosse team. Saturday's road contest at Hartford begins America East play for the Retrievers. They have won or shared four conference regular-season titles and three league tournaments, which include an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. That's why Saturday's game has been likened to the start of a new season. “It's the most important part of the season because we want to compete for a conference championship and we want to secure a bid to the NCAA tournament,” coach Don Zimmerman said Wednesday afternoon.

After starting the season 2-5, the Loyola women's lacrosse team has begun what it hopes is a big turnaround with three straight wins, including Wednesday night's 13-7 victory over a UMBC team off to its best start in 27 years. The No. 17 Greyhounds, who defeated Big East Conference foes Louisville and Cincinnati over the weekend, dominated the second-half draws against the Retrievers and thwarted any attempt at a comeback by maintaining possession for the final 10:41 of the game at UMBC Stadium.

Towson has dominated this series to the tune of 28 wins and 15 losses with its neighbor to the south, but UMBC has won four of the last six meetings. The Tigers (3-5) have posted all three of their wins in the last five contests, but couldn't take advantage of a stirring 8-7 come-from-behind win against Navy a week ago in last Saturday's road game against No. 8 Duke, who coasted to a 12-4 victory. The Retrievers (2-4) snapped a three-game losing skid with last Saturday's 16-11 defeat of High Point, but are trying to win back-to-back contests for the first time since April 2011.

The two best players were on the opposite ends of the field Tuesday night, and they both played for Towson. Tigers junior attackman Thomas DeNapoli finished with seven goals and three assists, and senior goalie Andrew Wascavage made 15 saves as Towson defeated UMBC, 12-9, before an announced 545 at UMBC Stadium. DeNapoli, from East Rockaway, N.Y, was unstoppable and at times looked like NBA star LeBron James. He called for the ball. He waved his teammates out of the way. When he was double-teamed, he dished off and handed out assists.

UMBC has split its last two contests, and the starting goalkeeper for both games has been sophomore Wes DiRito. DiRito was on the losing end of a 13-7 setback to Johns Hopkins on March 8, but the Odenton native who graduated from DeMatha earned his first career victory as the Retrievers battered High Point, 16-11, last Saturday. DiRito succeeded senior Adam Cohen, who started the first four contests of the season en route to a 13.33 goals-against average and a .412 save percentage.

Each week, The Baltimore Sun publishes a Q&A with an area college lacrosse player to help you become more acquainted with the player and his/her team. Today's guest is UMBC midfielder Shannon Harkey, the youngest of four lacrosse-playing siblings from Purcellville, Va. A junior, Harkey ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 12 goals and three assists as the Retrievers are off to a 4-2 start heading into Friday night's home game against Mount St. Mary's. She began her college career at Florida but transferred before last season to UMBC; her father, Jay Harkey, played on the Retrievers' 1980 Division II national championship team before transferring and competing at Maryland.

When UMBC men's basketball coach Randy Monroe resigned less than a month before the start of the season, he left behind a roster almost devoid of in-state players. Aki Thomas didn't understand. The then-acting head coach said it was a “weird thing” to have a roster with so many out-of-state players. With Baltimore and its surrounding areas such a fertile recruiting ground, how was it possible that 10 of the Retrievers' 14 team members were from Pennsylvania or New Jersey? UMBC has just two Maryland natives on the roster - both walk-ons - and neither was recruited by the Retrievers.

Wednesday's supposed snowstorm wiped out UMBC's scheduled contest with No. 1 Maryland, but the Retrievers (1-3) are still trying to snap a two-game losing streak. UMBC has scored less than 10 goals in each of its three losses. Meanwhile, No. 10 Johns Hopkins got back into the win column with a 19-9 demolition of Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday night. The biggest mystery for the Blue Jays (4-1) is whether they will start senior Pierce Bassett or redshirt sophomore Eric Schneider in the cage.

Maryland coach John Tillman has already voiced his intention to go with Wednesday night's home contest against UMBC as planned despite the impending approach of a storm forecast to dump as much as eight inches of snow on the Washington, D.C. area. Retrievers coach Don Zimmerman feels the same way. “We scheduled to play this game, and the guys want to play,” Zimmerman said Tuesday afternoon. “When you have a chance to play the No. 1 team in the country in a venue like Byrd Stadium, that's what kids dream about.