Cambridge, Mass.- UMBC junior goalkeeper Adam Cohen (Arnold, Md./The Severn School) has been named America East Conference Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Week, the league announced today.

Cohen made a career-high 14 saves and scored a goal in the 11-7 win at Rutgers on Feb. 26. He stopped seven shots and allowed two first half goals as the Retrievers (1-1) built a 5-2 halftime edge. UMBC increased the lead to 10-4, but the Scarlet Knights (2-2) took 13 fourth quarter shots and Cohen repelled seven attempts in the final 15 minutes.

On a late clearing attempt, Cohen netted the 11th goal of the game to thwart the Rutgers rally and it is the first score by a Retriever netminder in 32 years of NCAA Division I play.

The victory was Cohen’s first victory since an 8-7 overtime win at Vermont on April 24, 2010.

Cohen’s first career win also occurred at Rutgers, a 6-5 victory on Feb. 28, 2010. He has 24 saves through two games this season and a save percentage of 58.5.

Piscataway, N.J.- UMBC sophomore midfielder Zach Linkous (Jarrettsville, Md./St. Paul’s) scored a career-best five goals and junior goalkeeper Adam Cohen (Arnold, Md./The Severn School) stopped career-high 14 Rutgers shots as the Retrievers defeated the Scarlet Knights, 11-7, at the RU Stadium Complex.

UMBC evened its record at 1-1, while Rutgers fell to 2-2 on the season.

Cohen scored UMBC’s final goal of the day with 1:39 remaining and it is believed to be the first goal scored by a Retriever goalkeeper in 32 years of NCAA Division I competition.

The Retrievers never trailed, as Linkous opened the scoring on an unassisted tally at the 9:03 mark, but Rutgers got the equalizer on a score by Nick DePaolera less than three minutes later.

But the visitors took control in the second quarter and outscored Rutgers, 7-1, over a 15-minute span. Junior midfielder Dave Brown (Coopersburg, Pa.) started the surge, converting a Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y.) feed exactly three minutes into the quarter. Junior attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C., sophomore midfielder Ryan Johnston (Huntingtown, Md.) and Linkous added goals to give UMBC a 5-1 lead at the 5:42 mark of the quarter, before Rutgers’ leading goal-scorer midfielder Will Mangan responded with one minute to play and cut the deficit to 5-2 at halftime.

But UMBC completed the run early in the third quarter with three goals in an 81-second span. Brown scored his second of the game 1:19 into the quarter, and face-off specialist Phil Poe (Harwood, Md./DeMatha) won the ensuing draw and scored unassisted just 16 seconds later. Linkous completed the hat trick on a man-up opportunity just 2:41 into the stanza.

Rutgers responded with two goals in a 55-second span to close the gap to 8-4, but Linkous put away a Brown feed 50 seconds after the fourth Rutgers goal and scored his fifth goal to close out the third quarter scoring with 1:20 to play.

UMBC held the 10-4 lead for the first half of the final quarter, but the Knights peppered Cohen with 13 fourth-quarter shots and cut the gap to 10-7 with ample time (2:43) remaining. But the Retriever netminder made seven fourth quarter saves and turned a late Knight turnover into a one-man clear and goal to punctuate his first victory since a 8-7 overtime win at Vermont on April 24, 2010.

Cohen’s first career win also occurred at Rutgers, a 6-5 victory on Feb. 28, 2010.

“Adam had a terrific day in goal,” head coach Don Zimmerman said. “The defense did a nice job of eliminating high percentage shots and he was all over shots from the outside.”

Linkous, an America East All-Rookie team selection in 2011, scored a season-best two goals on two occasions in his freshman campaign.

“Zach had a big day for us,” Zimmerman said. “He got us started early by scoring a couple of big goals. It was just one of those days that he was putting the ball on target and (really) cashed in on his opportunities.”

Brown added two goals and two assists for UMBC, while Johnston also had multiple points with a goal and a helper. Poe won half of his 22 draws attempted, while junior midfielder Neill Lewnes (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s) and sophomore LSM Nathan Klein (Coquitlam, B.C.) each contributed five ground balls and two caused turnovers apiece.

DePaolera led Rutgers with two goals and two assists.

The Retrievers took an 8-7 series lead over the Scarlet Knights and avenged a 12-5 loss to RU at UMBC Stadium a year ago.

UMBC returns home on Saturday, March 3, when they host Fairfield.

The UMBC (0-1) men’s lacrosse team takes to the road, leaving the state of Maryland for the only time until April 7, when they face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-1) at the RU Turf Field in Piscataway, N.J. on Sunday, Feb. 26. The opening face-off is set for noon.

SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS

            UMBC dropped its season opener, falling 10-8 to Robert Morris, at UMBC Stadium on Feb. 18. The Retrievers never led, tying the game at 2-2 early in the second quarter, and 8-8 with a three-goal rally early in the fourth quarter. But the Colonials took a 9-8 lead just 31 seconds after the Retrievers drew even and added an insurance goal to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Junior attackmen Scott Jones and Joe Lustgarten and sophomore midfielder Zach Linkous (Jarrettsville, Md./St. Paul’s) scored two goals each for UMBC. The Retrievers dominated statistically, outshooting RMU, 47-32, winning 15 of 21 face-offs and capturing 38 ground balls to 27 for the Colonials. UMBC sophomore Phil Poe attempted all 21 draws for UMBC and led all players with six ground balls.

SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

Rutgers is 2-1 and has won two straight after opening with a 16-8 loss at Duke. The Knights have edged Air Force, 11-10, at Syracuse and, most recently, defeated  Wagner, 9-5, on Staten Island on Feb. 21. Senior midfielder Will Mangan leads RU with 8 goals and 3 assists. He has hat-tricks in back-to-back games and added two assists for a  five-point effort at Wagner.

Rutgers is 7-of-12 on the man-up to date and has cleared successfully 45 of 47 opportunities.

Brian Brecht, who has 16 seasons of collegiate coaching experience and most recently served a highly successful seven-year tenure as head coach at Siena College, enter his first season as the head men’s lacrosse coach at Rutgers University.

*****

TOP DAWG: In 2009, Head Coach Don Zimmerman earned his third America East Coach of the Year honors in the four years.  Zimmerman enters the 2012 season 9th in victories (208) and 14th in winning percentage (61.5%) amongst active Division I coaches. The win over Binghamton on April 10, 2010 was the 200th in the career of UMBC head coach Don Zimmerman. He is now 208-130 in his 26th year as a collegiate mentor. Zimmerman is the 10th active coach to record 200 victories. He coached his 250th game at UMBC vs. Hartford on May 4, 2012.

THE SERIES

The series is tied at 7-7 and each team has won twice since the series resumed in 2008. Two years ago at Rutgers, then-freshman goalkeeper Adam Cohen recorded his first career victory as UMBC carved out a 6-5 victory. He recorded six saves in the game.

Last season, visiting Rutgers outscored five consecutive first half goals and the Scarlet Knights improved to 3-0 by defeating UMBC (1-1), 12-5, in the home opener for the Retrievers.

Junior attackman Kevin Hover led the RU attack with three goals, while Will Mangan added two goals and one assist.

Five different players scored for the Retrievers, but UMBC managed to put only nine of 26 shots on goal. Brian McCullough took the loss, allowing six goals and making two saves in the first half. Cohen allowed six second half goals and made four stops.

Zimmerman’s Records

Career Record:            208-131 (.614) (26th season)

at UMBC:                    135-116 (.538) (19th season)

TEAM CAPTAINS: The UMBC men’s lacrosse team has selected senior attackman Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y./Carthage), junior attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C./Terry Fox) and junior long-stick midfielder Ethan Murphy (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca East) as its captains for the 2011-12 season.

“We are pleased with the selection of Rob, Scott and Ethan as this year’s captains,” head coach Don Zimmerman said. “They are outstanding individuals in their own right, and this trio will now have the opportunity to work together as leaders, representing the 2012 Retrievers on and off the playing field.”

CONGRATS: Four returning players received their first conference accolades. Junior attackman Scott Jones and junior defender Sam McKelvey earned Second Team All-Conference honors. Sophomore Zach Linkous was named to the league’s All-Rookie Team and sophomore Neill Lewnes earned a spot on the conference’ss All-Academic squad.

Sixty Retrievers have been honored by the America East Conference on all-league teams since 2004.

BEASTS OF AMERICA EAST: UMBC is now 33-9 in eight years of America East competition and 18-3 at UMBC Stadium.

In 2011, The Retrievers (6-7, 3-2 AEC) had a winning league record and earned a spot in the four-team America East Conference Championships for the eighth consecutive year.

WINNING THE TIGHT ONES: UMBC is now 23-13 in games decided by three goals or less since the beginning of the 2007 season. UMBC had won eight straight overtime decisions from 2007-09 until dropping a Feb. 20, 2010 triple overtime decision to Delaware. UMBC’s previous overtime loss was an 11-10 setback at Penn early in the 2006 season. In one-goal decisions, UMBC has now won four in a row (dating back to a 6-5 loss to Princeton in 2009)  and 15 of its last 19.

UMBC is now 15-5 in Don Zimmerman’s 17 seasons in overtime and in his career, Coach Zimmerman is 17-7 in extra time.

HOME, SWEET HOME: After 14 consecutive winning seasons at UMBC Stadium, the Retrievers were 1-6 at home in 2010. However, UMBC bounced back to go 4-1 last year and is 34-12 (.739) at home since 2006.

THE HITS JUST KEEP COMING: UMBC’s 45 wins over a four-year period (2006-09) is the most in the school’s history, surpassing the 42 wins recorded from 1974-1977. For the first time in school history, UMBC won 10 or more games in four consecutive seasons.

Programs With Most Victories, 2006-09

1. Virginia 58

2. Duke 56

3. Cornell 50

4. Syracuse 47

5. UMBC 45

DON’T LOOK BACK: UMBC is now in its 45th season of varsity men’s lacrosse with a record of 333-276 (.547). The Retrievers played their 600th intercollegiate match on March 18, 2012 at Maryland. They are 217-211 (.507) in their 31st year at the Division I level, achieving win No. 200 vs. Ohio State on March 21, 2009. Before the win over Towson on April 1, 2008, the last time the program was last over the .500 mark at the Division I level was when at the end of its third season (1983) when the record was 19-18.

POWERFUL POWER PLAY: UMBC has been nationally ranked in man-up percentage in four of the past six years. In 2009, the Retrievers led the country in man-up situations and set a school record by converting on 51.7% (30 of 57) of its opportunities.

Year    Man-Up Pct. Year-End National Rank

2009    .517                  1st

2007    .464                  5th

2006    .417                  7th

2005    .444                  2nd

2004    .379                  10th

Junior attackman Rob Grimm is UMBC’s active scoring leader with 91 points (44-47-91). He needs 9 points to become the 29th player in school history to hit the 100-point plateau.  Grimm has points in 37 of 44 games played in his career.

Grimm’s Five-Point Games

March 31, 2009            2g, 3a vs. Towson

Feb. 19, 2011              1g, 4a at Presbyterian

March 5, 2011              3g, 2a at North Carolina

April 6, 2011                3g, 2a vs. Towson

May 3, 2012                 4g, 1a at Hartford

HAT TRICKS: Sophomore Scott Jones posted his second career three-goal game by tallying UMBC’s first three of the contest at Maryland. He recorded four goals in the opener at Presbyterian, added five at Albany on April 16 and recorded his fourth of the campaign vs. Vermont. UMBC’s had 11 hat tricks in 2011 -  others have come from Dave Brown (4g at Presbyterian, 3g vs. Binghamton) Rob Grimm (UNC, Hartford), Scott Hopmann (Presbyterian), Joe Lustgarten (Hartford)  and Jamie Kimbles (Albany).

WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR YOU: Dave Brown posted a six-point game (1 goal, 5 assists) at Albany on April 16. The five assists in a game was tied for sixth in the nation last season and was UMBC’s top-assist game since Drew Westervelt had six vs. Vermont on April 21, 2007. Brown opened the 2012 season with a pair of assists vs. Robert Morris.

CROW ABOUT POE: Sophomore face-off specialist Phil Poe won 15 draws (15-6) vs. RMU in the opener. The last Retriever to capture 15 face-offs in a game was Taylor Marino, who garnered 19 in America East Championship victory over Albany on May 3, 2008.

UP NEXT: UMBC returns home on Sat., March 3 when they host Fairfield at 3:00 p.m.

UMBC concludes the regular season at second-place Vermont on Sat., Feb. 25.  Tip-off time is set for 1:00 p.m. from Patrick Gymnasium.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC’s (4-24, 3-12 Amer. East) 21-point setback to Boston Univ. on Wednesday was its first lopsided loss since they fell to the Terriers in late January.  Despite the fact that the Retrievers were 1-6 in that span, UMBC’s scoring margin was only -4.1.  But UMBC shot a season-low 29.5 percent vs. BU and were down by double digits for the final 24 minutes. Soph. forward Chase Plummer (15.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg) continued his torrid scoring display with 21 points on Wednesday and is putting together one of the top sophomore seasons in UMBC’s 26-year Division I history.

CATAMOUNT UPDATE:  Vermont (19-11, 12-3 AEC) was riding a 10-game winning streak and controlled its own destiny toward the league’s No. 1 tournament seed until the Catamounts ran into an inspired Binghamton squad on Tuesday. The Bearcats won their first game of the season, edging Vermont, 57-53 at the Events Center.  The Catamounts have a balanced attack, led by freshman guard Four McGlynn, who has no starts in 30 games, but averages 11.8 points per game. Wing Brian Voelkel leads Vermont with 8.2 rebounds and nearly five assists per game.

Who’s Up Next:  The Retrievers will be the eighth seed in next week’s America East Conference Tournament and will face ninth-seeded Binghamton in the first round game on Thursday, March 1. The winner of that game will advance to take on the top seed in a Saturday, March 3 quarterfinal game.

UMBC plays its final home game of the 2011-12 season when they host the Boston University Terriers on Wed., Feb. 22. The Retrievers’ lone senior, post Jake Wasco, will be honored in pregame ceremonies. The Retrievers did win the match-up with Boston U. at the RAC Arena last season, but were soundly beaten at Case Gymnasium on Jan.  24.  Tip-off time will be at 7:05 p.m. and the broadcast is available at www.umbcretrievers.tv.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: After allowing 66 and 56 points and holding UNH and Binghamton to 40 percent or below from the field, UMBC (4-23, 3-11) could not follow up, and fell at Canisius, 73-66, in Buffalo, N.Y. on Feb. 18. The Golden Griffins hit 50 percent from the field in the contest. Soph. forward Chase Plummer (15.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg) scored 24 points and added a career-high 14 rebounds and is putting together one of the top sophomore seasons in UMBC’s 26-year Division I history.

TERRIER UPDATE:  The Terriers (14-15, 10-4) return to Baltimore just three days after losing at Loyola, 69-56. Boston U. has dropped two straight, but has third place sewn up in America East Conference play.  Senior guard Darryl Partin has earned or shared single-game scoring honors for the Terriers in the last ten games and is averaging 19.8 points per game.

WHO’S UP NEXT:  UMBC plays its final game of the 2011-12 regular season when the Retrievers travel to Vermont to take on the Catamounts on Sat., Feb. 25. With a win at Binghamton on Wednesday, Vermont would be looking to capture the No. 1 tournament seed and potential regular season title on Saturday at Patrick Gymnasium.

Game Preview
• Navy will look to push its record to 2-0 when it makes the journey to Florida to take part in the Moe’s Southwest Grill Classic on Sunday … Navy will face host Jacksonville in the second game of a doubleheader which features Denver vs. Ohio State at 2:00 pm, followed by the Mids and Dolphins at 4:00 pm.  The game will be played at EverBank Field, home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Last week the Mids opened their 105th season of lacrosse as well as the Rick Sowell coaching era by  earning a 14-7 win over VMI in Annapolis.  Sophomore attackmen Tucker Hull and Sam Jones combined to score 17 points, including 11 of the Mids’ 14 goals.
• Jacksonville, meanwhile, is in search of its first win since   edging VMI, 13-12, on April 24, 2011 … the Dolphins dropped their opener last Saturday at home against Towson, 12-10 … Jacksonville held a 7-5 halftime advantage, but gave up seven second-half goals, including four in the final quarter of play.
• Sunday’s contest will be televised by NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) with Brent Harris (play by play) Evan Washburn (analyst) and Amber Theoharis (sideline) calling he action.

More on the Dolphins
• Entering just their third season as a Div. I program, Jacksonville is led by first-year head coach Guy Van Arsdale who spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Colorado College (Div. III).
• The Dolphins opened the 2012 campaign last Saturday, dropping a two-goal decision to visiting Towson … Jacksonville held a 7-5 halftime advantage, but gave up seven second-half goals, including four in the final quarter of play.
• Five of Jacksonville’s top-six scorers from a year ago return, including junior midfielder Cameron Mann who topped the team with 37 points on 18 goals and 19 assists … he pitched in three goals and one assist in the loss against Towson last week.
• Freshman attackman Ari Waffle led all scorers in the opener with five points on three goals and two assists.
• Also returning are junior attackman TJ Kenary, who posted 21 goals and seven assists, senior attackman Max Gurowski, who led the team with 20 assists and six goals, while junior middie Donovan Lange scored 14 goals and added six assists.
• Sophomore Will Vogt played a solid game, winning 12 of the 19 draws he took and pacing all players with eight ground balls … Vogt won 51.7 percent (134-259) of the draws he took in 2011 and led the team in grounders.
• Dolphins keeper sophomore Peter Deluca gave up all 12 goals, while making 10 saves in the contest … Deluca owned a 50.8 save percentage a year ago, while surrendering 11.60 goals per game.

Navy vs. Jacksonville – The Series
• Sunday’s contest between the Mids and the Dolphins marks the inaugural game of the series.
• Of the 60 other Div. I teams who field men’s lacrosse teams, the Midshipmen have played 40 of them.
• Jacksonville will be crossed off the list of 20 teams Navy has not played when the two meet on Sunday.
• The following is a list of teams Navy has not played in its 105-year history (first year of DI lax):  Albany (2000), Bellarmine (2005), Binghamton (2002), Bryant (2009), Denver (1999), Detroit (2009), Fairfield, Hartford (1985), Jacksonville (2010), Manhattan, Mercer (2011), Michigan (2012), Notre Dame (1981), Quinnipiac (1999), Robert Morris (2005), Sacred Heart (2000), Siena (1977), Vermont, Villanova (1981), Wagner (2000).

Navy Vs. the MAAC
• The Mids are undefeated against the seven-member Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, producing a 7-0 overall record, including a 1-0 mark in 2012.
• Last Saturday, the Mids kicked off the 2012 campaign by defeating VMI, 14-7, which marked the eighth-straight season the Mids have faced a team either currently in the MAAC or had previously been part of the MAAC at the time of the contest.
• In 2005, Navy faced Providence who is now a member of the newly-formed Big East, while in 2006 and ‘07 the Mids battled Saint Joseph’s who has moved to the Colonial Athletic Association.  The Mids have battled VMI in each of the last five seasons’ openers.

Taking the Field In …
10 – Navy has lost just five games (47-5) when scoring 10 or more goals since the start of the 2004 campaign … Navy is 1-0 this season.
9 – Senior goalkeeper RJ Wickham needs nine saves to move into ninth on the Mids’ all-time saves list … he has turned away 346 shots over his career and trails 1990 graduate Louis Brown who amassed 355 saves.
8 – Navy has lost eight-straight games when scoring seven or fewer goals … the Mids were held to seven or fewer goals just three times a year ago.
7 – The Mids’ 7-0 run that covered the first two quarters against VMI last week marked the school’s largest run since scoring eight straight against Lafayette last spring.
6 – Sophomore attackman Tucker Hull led Navy with six goals against VMI in the opener … it’s the most goals by a Navy player since Taylor Harris scored six against Holy Cross on March 26, 2006.
5 – Sophomore attackman Sam Jones pushed his point scoring streak to five in a row thanks to a remarkable nine-point (5-4) effort against VMI … it’s the most points scored by a Navy player since Dennis Nealon produced 12 points against Washington College  on March 20, 1991.
4 – Four of Navy’s 2012 opponents are ranked in the 2012 USILA Coaches Preseason Poll – Johns Hopkins (2), North Carolina (6), Maryland (7), Bucknell (12), while Army and Colgate are receiving votes.
3 – With a 751-308-14 record, Navy is the third-winningest program in Div. I men’s lax behind Johns Hopkins (912-294-15) and Syracuse (821-312-16).
2 – Navy’s Rick Sowell and Jacksonville’s Guy Van Arsdale are two of the 15 schools around the country to have first-year coaches this season.
1 – Over the last four seasons, 22 (9-13) of the Mids’ 61 contests have been decided by one goal.

Navy 14, VMI 7 — A Look Back
• Navy improved to 89-15-1 all-time in season openers, including 11 in a row, after handing VMI a 14-7 loss.
• Navy has reached double-figures in 10 of the 11 games during the winning streak.
• Navy has now won 28 in a row when scoring 14 or more  goals in a game.
• Navy sophomore attackmen Tucker Hull and Sam Jones combined to scored 17 points, including 11 of the 14 goals against the Keydets. The last Navy tandem to combine for 11 goals was Brendan Schneck and Mike Hannan, who pitched in six and five goals, respectively, to help guide the Mids to a 16-8 win over Princeton on April 8, 1978.
• Hull paced the Mids with a career-high school goals, marking the most goals by a Navy player since Taylor Harris scored six against Holy Cross on March 26, 2006.
• Jones pitched in five goals and four assists, as he became the first Navy player to produce nine points since Dennis Nealon’s 12-point effort against Washington College on March 20, 1991.
• Sophomore midfielder Pat Durkin scored his first-collegiate goal in making just his second-career start.
• Senior faceoff specialist Logan West jumped from sixth to fourth on the Mids’ all-time faceoff wins list following a 10-for-25 effort against VMI … he has won 185 draws over four seasons.
• Junior midfielder Bryce Dabbs, junior defenseman Austin Miller and sophomore defenseman Nik Mullen made their first-collegiate starts in Navy’s opener … for Dabbs, it was his first-career appearance.
• Short stick defensive midfielder Cade Norris picked up a career-best three ground balls while causing a personal-high four turnovers.

National Exposure
• Since the start of 2004, 50 Navy lacrosse games have been televised.
2004    4-2 (6)    CSTV 1-1    ESPN 2-1    WMAR 1-0
2005    3-3 (6)    CSTV 3-0    ESPN 0-3
2006    3-4 (7)    CSTV 2-4    ESPN 1-0
2007    2-3 (5)    CSTV 2-1    ESPN 0-1    MASN 0-1
2008    3-5 (8)    CBS C 1-2    ESPN 2-2    MASN 0-1
2009    5-2 (7)    CBS C 3-0    ESPN 1-2    MASN 1-0
2010    3-5 (8)    CBS C 3-3    ESPN 0-2
2011    0-2 (2)    CBS  0-2    ESPN 0-1
2012    0-0 (4)    CBS  0-0    ESPN 0-0    NBC 0-0
CBS Sports Network: 15-13    ESPN: 6-12
NBC Sports Network:  0-0    MASN: 1-2    WMAR: 1-0
• Four regular-season contests are on tap to be aired this season, including this weekend’s game against Jacksonville.
• NBC Sports Network, formerly known as Vs., will carry the Navy-Jacksonville game live from EverBank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars … the Moe’s Southwest Grill Classic will feature Denver vs. Ohio State at 2:00 pm, followed by the Mids at Dolphins at 4:00 pm.
• CBS Sports Network will televise the Mids’ March 30 matchup against Lehigh at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, along with the annual Army-Navy game slated for April 14 at West Point, N.Y. and the Mids’ regular-season finale at home against Johns Hopkins on April 21.
• Additionally, CBS Sports Network will televise both Patriot League Tournament Semifinal contests on April 27, along with the championship game on April 29.
• Last year, CBS Sports Network carried rivalry games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium against Maryland and Army, while ESPNU aired Navy’s contest at Johns Hopkins.
• The Mids own a 23-27 record when their games are televised (since ‘04) … Navy is 15-13 on CBS Sports Network all-time and 6-12 on the ESPN family of networks … the Mids are also 1-0 on local Baltimore station WMAR and 1-2 on MASN.
• Sunday’s contest marks the first time the Mids have appeared on the NBC network and it is believed to be the first college games to be aired by the network.
• The Mids own a 59-16 record (78.7) in games that have not been televised since the start of 2004.

Fast Facts
• Starting attackmen Tucker Hull and Sam Jones scored at least one point in 12 of the 13 contests a year ago.
• Jones enters Sunday’s contest having scored a point (g/a) in each of the last five contests … the last time he did not score a point was on March 26, 2011, in the Mids’ 5-4 loss to Colgate.
• Among the 14 games over the last two years, Jones has  scored a goal in 12 contests and produced an assist in 10.  He has recorded eight multi-goal games, including hat tricks in four games.  Additionally, he has put up multiple points in 12 of the 14 contests.
• Hull, meanwhile, has turned in a goal in 11 of the 14 games, including hat tricks five times.  He has dealt out assists in 11 games, as well.  He has posted 10 multi-point performances.
• Dating back to 2009, at least one Navy player has turned in a hat trick in 23 of the last 36 games … Hull and Jones combined to score 11 of the Mids’ 14 goals in their opener against VMI last Saturday.
• Six different players recorded hat tricks a year ago, but only Hull (4) and Jones (3) produced more than one.
• While Harrison Chaires paced the Mids with seven extra-man goals a year ago, Hull played a role in 11 of the Mids’ 19 extra-man goals, scoring five times and providing the assist on an additional six goals.  Navy is off to a slow start in its extra-man game, coming up empty on its four opportunities against VMI.
• Since 2004, Navy owns an amazing 53-2 record when holding its opponents to six or fewer goals, including an 11-1 mark in the last four seasons combined.
• Navy owns a remarkable 47-5 record when scoring 10 or more goals since 2004, including a 9-1 mark in 2009, a 10-1 record in ‘10, a 3-2 mark in ‘11 and a 1-0 record in ‘12.
• Close defenseman Matt Vernam has started 41-straight games heading into his senior campaign … other players with lengthy starting streaks include senior goalkeeper RJ Wickham (35) and senior midfielder Nikk Davis (31).
• Hull and Jones combined to scored 11 of the Mids’ 14 goals against VMI … the last Navy tandem to achieve that feat was Brendan Schneck and Mike Hannan, who pitched in six and five goals, respectively, to help guide the Mids to a 16-8 win over Princeton on April 8, 1978.

The UMBC men’s lacrosse team opens its 45^th season of intercollegiate lacrosse on Saturday, Feb. 18 when the Retrievers host Robert Morris University. This will be the first meeting between UMBC and RMU on the lacrosse field. The opening face-off takes place at 1:00 p.m. at UMBC Stadium. All UMBC home lacrosse games are streamed with several cameras and audio on www.umbcretrievers.tv.

SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS

In 2012, head coach Don Zimmerman enters his 19^th season at UMBC. Amongst active Division I coaches, he is ninth in total victories (208) and 14th in winning percentage (.615). Ed Stephenson, who spent six years (1995-2000) at UMBC, returns as associate head coach and joins former Retriever Andy Gallagher and Rocco Vicchio on the sidelines.

Twenty-five players and eight starters return from last year’s squad. The Retrievers (6-7, 3-2 AEC) had a winning league record and earned a spot in the four-team America East Conference Championships for the eighth consecutive year.

SR A Rob Grimm JR A Scott Jones and JR D Ethan Murphy have been named captains for the 2012 Retrievers. Grimm is UMBC’s active scoring leader with 89 points (43-46-89). He needs 11 points to become the 29th player in school history to hit the 100-point plateau.

UMBC is now in its 45th season of varsity men’s lacrosse with a record of 333-275 (.548). They are 217-210 (.508) in their 31st year at the Division I level. The Retrievers are 34-12 (.739) at home in the last six seasons.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS

For the first time in school history, the Robert Morris University men’s lacrosse program had former Colonials selected in a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) draft as Trevor Moore and Patrick Smith were both chosen in the 2012 MLL Supplemental Draft held in December. Moore, who led the nation in goals per game in 2011, was picked in the 10th round by the Chesapeake Bayhawks, while Smith was taken in the 12th round by the Ohio Machine.

Senior Kiel Matisz and junior Jake Hayes both tallied hat tricks to help first-year mentor Andrew McMinn earn a win in his collegiate head-coaching debut as the Robert Morris men’s lacrosse team held off a late Bellarmine charge to claim a 9-8 victory in each squad’s 2012 regular-season opener last Saturday afternoon.

Robert Morris earned its first postseason berth in school history in 2011 and also became the first Division I program since 1997 to lead the nation in scoring offense in back-to-back seasons. The Colonials’ victory over Bucknell was also its first over a nationally-ranked opponent in school history.

Senior midfielder Kyle Buchanan is the Colonials’ leading returning scorer- he had 20 goals and 16 assists in 2012.

TOP DAWG: In 2009, Head Coach Don Zimmerman earned his third America East Coach of the Year honors in the four years.  Zimmerman enters the 2012 season 9th in victories (208) and 14th in winning percentage (61.5%) amongst active Division I coaches. The win over Binghamton on April 10, 2010 was the 200th in the career of UMBC head coach Don Zimmerman. He is now 208-130 in his 26th year as a collegiate mentor. Zimmerman is the 10th active coach to record 200 victories. He  coached his 250th game at UMBC vs. Hartford on May 4, 2012.

Zimmerman’s Records

Career Record:            208-129 (.617) (26th season)

at UMBC:                    135-114 (.542) (19th season)

TEAM CAPTAINS: The UMBC men’s lacrosse team has selected senior attackman Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y./Carthage), junior attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C./Terry Fox) and junior long-stick midfielder Ethan Murphy (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca East) as its captains for the 2011-12 season.

“We are pleased with the selection of Rob, Scott and Ethan as this year’s captains,” head coach Don Zimmerman said. “They are outstanding individuals in their own right, and this trio will now have the opportunity to work together as leaders, representing the 2012 Retrievers on and off the playing field.”

CONGRATS: Four returning players received their first conference accolades. Junior attackman Scott Jones and junior defender Sam McKelvey earned Second Team All-Conference honors. Sophomore Zach Linkous was named to the league’s All-Rookie Team and sophomore Neill Lewnes earned a spot on the conference’s All-Academic squad.

Sixty Retrievers have been honored by the America East Conference on all-league teams since 2004.

BEASTS OF AMERICA EAST: UMBC is now 33-9 in eight years of America East competition and 18-3 at UMBC Stadium.

WINNING THE TIGHT ONES: UMBC is now 23-12 in games decided by three goals or less since the beginning of the 2007 season. UMBC had won eight straight overtime decisions from 2007-09  until dropping a Feb. 20, 2010 triple overtime decision to Delaware. UMBC’s previous overtime loss was an 11-10 setback at Penn early in the 2006 season. In one-goal decisions, UMBC has now won four  in a row (dating back to a 6-5 loss to Princeton in 2009)  and 15 of its last 19.

UMBC is now 15-5 in Don Zimmerman’s 17 seasons in overtime and in his career, Coach Zimmerman is 17-7 in extra time.

HOME, SWEET HOME: After 14 consecutive winning seasons at UMBC Stadium, the Retrievers were 1-6 at home in 2010. However, UMBC bounced back to go 4-1 last year and is 34-12 (.739) at home since 2006. The Retrievers have currently won four in a row at UMBC Stadium.

FOR OPENERS: Prior to the loss to the Blue Hens last sesaon, UMBC had won its last seven home openers since an 11-4 loss to Navy in 2002. After the setback to Rutgers last week, Coach Zimmerman is now 11-7 in UMBC home openers.

THE HITS JUST KEEP COMING: UMBC’s 45 wins over a four-year period (2006-09) is the most in the school’s history, surpassing the 42 wins recorded from 1974-1977. For the first time in school history, UMBC won 10 or more games in four consecutive seasons.

Programs With Most Victories, 2006-09

1. Virginia 58

2. Duke 56

3. Cornell 50

4. Syracuse 47

5. UMBC 45

DON’T LOOK BACK: UMBC is now in its 45th season of varsity men’s lacrosse with a record of 333-275 (.548). The Retrievers played their 600th intercollegiate match on March 18, 2012 at Maryland. They are 217-210 (.508) in their 31st year at the Division I level, achieving win No. 200 vs. Ohio State on March 21, 2009. Before the win over Towson on April 1, 2008, the last time the program was last over the .500 mark at the Division I level was when at the end of its third season (1983) when the record was 19-18.

POWERFUL POWER PLAY: UMBC has been nationally ranked in man-up percentage in four of the past six years. In 2009, the Retrievers led the country in man-up situations and set a school record by converting on 51.7% (30 of 57) of its opportunities.

Year    Man-Up Pct. Year-End National Rank

2009    .517                  1st

2007    .464                  5th

2006    .417                  7th

2005    .444                  2nd

2004    .379                  10th

Junior attackman Rob Grimm is UMBC’s active scoring leader with 89 points (43-46-89). He needs 11 points to become the 29th player in school history to hit the 100-point plateau.  Grimm has points in 36 of 41 games played in his career.

Grimm’s Five-Point Games

March 31, 2009            2g, 3a vs. Towson

Feb. 19, 2011              1g, 4a at Presbyterian

March 5, 2011              3g, 2a at North Carolina

April 6, 2011                3g, 2a vs. Towson

May 3, 2012                 4g, 1a at Hartford

HAT TRICKS: Sophomore Scott Jones posted his second career three-goal game by tallying UMBC’s first three of the contest at Maryland. He recorded four goals in the opener at Presbyterian, added five at Albany on April 16 and recorded his fourth of the campaign vs. Vermont. UMBC’s had 11 hat tricks in 2011 -  others have come from Dave Brown (4g at Presbyterian, 3g vs. Binghamton) Rob Grimm (UNC, Hartford), Scott Hopmann (Presbyterian), Joe Lustgarten (Hartford)  and Jamie Kimbles (Albany).

WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR YOU: Dave Brown posted a six-point game (1 goal, 5 assists) at Albany on April 16. The five assists in a game was tied for sixth in the nation last season and was UMBC’s top-assist game since Drew Westervelt had six vs. Vermont on April 21, 2007.

TOUGH STANZA: In its seven losses in 2011, UMBC was outscored, 30-9, in the second quarter. UMBC had scored 13 goals in the second quarter in its first eight games before exploding for six in a 6:50 span of the second stanza vs. Binghamton on April 9.

TOUGHER STANZA: UMBC was outscored, 39-17, in the third quarter last season, including 17-6 in five America East games, plus the semifinal contest at Hartford.

GOOD STANZA: In UMBC’s six wins, UMBC has outscored its foes, 19-9, in the fourth quarter. For the season, UMBC has won the fourth period, 36-24, and are a +6 (14-8) in 2011 league play.

REMEMBER THIS ONE?: The Retrievers trailed Quinnpiac, 5-4, after three quarters before rallying to win, 9-7. UMBC’s last win when trailing after three quarters occurred in the 2008 America East title game vs. Albany when the Retrievers were behind 12-9 after 45 minutes.

SETTING THE STAGE: Towson will be looking to snap its five-game losing streak Saturday as the Tigers travel to New Hampshire to take on the Wildcats in a BracketBuster contest. Tip time is set for 3 p.m. from Lundholm Gymnasium and the game can be heard live on WNST-AM (1570).

SERIES HISTORY: Saturday’s game will matchup former America East rivals Towson and New Hampshire. The squads met on the hardwood 13 times from 1996-2001 with the Tigers owning a 9-4 lead in the series. Towson has won four straight over New Hampshire and the teams have split six all-time meetings in Durham.

LAST TIME OUT: Towson senior Robert Nwankwo continued his stellar play against Colonial Athletic Association opponents, but his big effort wasn’t enough as the Tigers fell, 70-51, at Northeastern Tuesday evening. Nwankwo posted his 12th double-double with a season-high tying 19 points and 13 rebounds. The senior, who shot 7-for-11 from the field, has now registered a double-double in eight of his last 11 games. Sophomore Marcus Damas joined Nwankwo in double figures for Towson with 15 points to go along with a career-high five assists. Towson won the rebounding battle (30-29) for the ninth time in the last 10 games, but the Huskies scored 29 points off 19 Tiger turnovers.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: New Hampshire is riding a three game winning streak and the Wildcats have won four of their last five. Led by Alvin Abreu and Chandler Rhoads, New Hampshire (11-14, 6-8 America East) is coming off consecutive road wins at UMBC and Boston University. Abreu paces the squad in scoring at 13.8 points per game, while Rhoads averages 11.2 points and a team-high 2.6 assists per game. New Hampshire is a combined 2-2 against Vermont and UMBC, the only common opponents the Wildcats share with Towson. The Tigers are 0-2 against America East teams this year.

NWANKWO NEARING TOWSON GAMES PLAYED RECORD: Towson senior forward Robert Nwankwo has the potential to end his career having played the most games in Tiger men’s basketball history. Nwankwo has already played in 115 career games, tying him with John James (1990-94) for fifth all-time. With three regular season games remaining and a minimum of one game in the CAA Tournament, Nwankwo has the potential to play in at least 119 games. Former Tiger Rocky Coleman (2005-09) sits atop the list having played in 119 games. If Nwankwo is able to stay healthy, the senior will at least tie the record and with a Tiger win in the CAA Tournament, Nwankwo could hold the record by himself.

ANOTHER REBOUNDING WIN: With a narrow 30-29 rebounding edge against Northeastern on Tuesday, Towson has now won the battle of the boards in nine of its last 10 games. The Tigers are currently fourth in the CAA with a +1.6 rebounding advantage per game. On the offensive glass, Towson is second in the league in both offensive rebounds per game (13.5) and offensive rebounding percentage (38.6).

UMBC begins the second half of America East play on Wed., Feb. 1, when they visit Albany. The Retrievers had a bye over the weekend, while Albany pulled away late for a 12-point victory at Hartford. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: After a Jan. 19 win over Binghamton, UMBC has suffered two lopsided losses to second-place Vermont and Boston U. The Retrievers must improve defensively in the second pass through league foes- America East teams are averaging 81.0 ppg and shooting 51.5% from the floor vs. UMBC through eight games. Soph. forward Chase Plummer, who scored 17 points and added nine rebounds vs. the Terriers, continues to lead UMBC in scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg).

DANE UPDATE: Albany is 8-0 at home this season and came up with their fourth road victory, a 72-60 decision over host Hartford on Jan. 29. The Hawks led, 58-54 with six minutes remaining, but the Danes ended the contest on an 18-2 run. Junior guard Logan Aronhalt led Albany with 17 points and eight rebounds and is averaging 16.8 ppg in league play. Wing Gerardo Suero leads the league at 21.1 points per outing.

Who’s Up Next: UMBC begins a stretch of five games in 12 days and the Retrievers return home to take on Maine on Satuday, Feb. 4 at 3:30 p.m.