Men’s college lacrosse

For the 20th consecutive Saturday home game, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County celebrated a victory, although the Retrievers’ 18-5 victory over Vermont on a balmy afternoon was more than just another ordinary triumph.

The win earned the 10-3 Retrievers a top seed in the America East Conference Tournament and a first round date with Binghamton, Wednesday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. at UMBC Stadium.

The nine seniors who saw action in their final regular season home game didn’t disappoint the adoring crowd.

After a pre-game ceremony with family, seniors Eric Gurnsey (two goals), Mike Burch, Jeremy Blevins (10 saves), Alex Hoppman (four goals), Ryan Smith (four goals, three assists), Peet Poillon (two goals, one assist), Kevin Goedeke, Matt Curtin and Steve Settembrino took care of business.

When Vermont (4-10) grabbed a 2-1 lead on a goal by Andrew Kelleher with 7:46 left in the first period, the Retrievers responded by holding the Catamounts scoreless for the next 25:46.

UMBC then unleashed an 8-0 run to build a 9-2 lead.

Smith was especially effective during the spree, scoring three times and assisting on another goal.

“Ryan Smith had maybe one of his best games today,” UMBC coach Don Zimmerman said about the senior from Fallston. Smith, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee 1:16 into last year’s conference tournament championship game, praised his opportunistic teammates.

“We have so many weapons that it’s hard for teams to guard everybody,” Smith said. “As long as we are playing unselfishly and moving the ball around, we are hard to guard.”

Having impressive numbers on Senior Day wasn’t Smith’s motivation.

“The ‘W’ is what matters,” he said.

Getting a win and contributing on Senior Day was even sweeter for Catonsville High graduate Eric Gurnsey, who underwent three knee surgeries by the spring of his freshman year in college.

“I still have some knee trouble, but I try to play through it and do what I can out there,” Gurnsey said.

Against Vermont, he proved he can be a valuable scoring weapon off the bench, doubling his goal-scoring output on the season with a pair of goals. On the first, he quick-sticked a pass from Jamie Kimbles into the net.

“I called for the ball, and I didn’t know a guy was on my back,” he said. “So I just caught it and shot as soon as I could.”

Gurnsey broke up a clear in front of the crease and deposited the ball between the pipes for his second tally.

“He got some goals today that were just pure hustle and determination,” Zimmerman said. “He deserved it because he hustled and scrapped. That epitomizes what we’re looking for from our team.”

Another player who brings tenacity and determination to every game is goalie Blevins.

Before the UMBC attack warmed up, the Calvert Hall product made his presence felt.

“Blevins made some big saves early and he allowed us to come back by making those big saves,” Zimmerman said. “He’s just been a great leader for us in the goal.”

He is surrounded by a defense that feeds off the 5-foot-8, 145-pound bundle of energy.

Kevin Goedeke and Steve Settembrino and junior Matt Kresse are comparable to shut-down cornerbacks in the NFL  by the way they blanket opposing scorers.

Vermont’s second-leading scorer Derek Lichtfuss, found that out as the St. Paul’s graduate converted two of 10 shots while being mostly shadowed by Kresse. On one golden fastbreak opportunity early in the second half, Lichtfuss was ahead of the pack headed for goal when Kresse made a lunging check that forced the ensuing shot to sail wide.

Vermont’s Geoff Worley (two goals, three assists) and Lichtfuss (two goals, one assist) broke the long scoring drought with back-to-back goals in the third quarter.

Joining the goal-scoring parade for UMBC were juniors Chris Jones (three goals), Jordan Pierce (two) and Kyle Wimer (one). Pierce, Matt Latham, Mike Camardo, Bobby Stockton and Maxx Davis added assists and Kimbles and Rob Grimm contributed a pair of helpers as 13 different Retrievers scored points.

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