Retrievers remain frustrated by lack of offense, turnovers
Madison Carter (South River) and Penn State host Princeton today.
With scoring goals becoming an increasingly difficult task, the UMBC men’s lacrosse team is aware it cannot afford to waste high-percentage opportunities.
But turnovers, inaccurate shots and missed chances can sink any offense, and those ingredients contributed to the host Retrievers’ 7-6 loss to Stony Brook before an announced 456 at UMBC Stadium in Catonsville on Sunday afternoon.
Trailing 7-3 after three quarters, UMBC scored three goals in the first 4:57 of the final stanza to trim the deficit to a goal. But the next four offensive possessions ended in a turnover, a shot that settled in the outside netting of the cage, another turnover, and a third turnover to end the game.
“We haven’t been producing this year,” said junior midfielder Billy Nolan, a Crofton resident and Arundel graduate who had a game-high four points on three goals and one assist. “So we’re all frustrated. We’re frustrated because the defense is playing their butts off. We’re just not putting enough on the field for them, and it’s really disappointing, especially as a leader of the offense.”
The Retrievers have yet to score 10 goals in a game this season and entered Sunday ranked second-to-last nationally in goals per game at 6.7.
The offense played its third straight game withoutleadingscorerandfreshmanattackman Trevor Patschorke, who had 11 goals and two assists in four games before a knee injury. Freshman midfielder Steven Zichelli (Severna Park) added one goal and one assist, and junior attackman Jack Andrews (St. Mary’s) contributed two assists.
The offense started three freshmen in Zichelli, fellow midfielder Ben Keller and attackman Brett Baucia (Archbishop Spalding), but coach Ryan Moranchallenged the players after the game to avoid using youth and inexperience as an excuse.
“We’reinthemiddleofMarchrightnow,” he said. “There are expectations you have from the kids that shouldn’t just be a senior expectation or a junior or sophomore expectation. It’s just in everything — the adjustments in the game, didn’t do what we had game-planned for the whole week and translate that onto the field. We really don’t do a tremendous job of that right now, and I don’t know why. So that’s why it’s on me. I’ve got to figure out a way for us to get better.”
On Sunday, the Retrievers took 37 shots for a 16.2 percent shooting rate and forced Seawolves sophomore goalkeeper Michael Bollinger to make only six saves. They also committed13 turnovers.
UMBC whiffed on two six-on-four advantages, ending one situation in the fourth quarter on a shot by sophomore attackman Ryan Frawley that Bollinger easily caught. That contributed to a 2-for-7 showing on extra-man opportunities for the Retrievers.
“It’s funny because against Virginia, we were down two men for close to three minutes and we gave up a ton of goals,” Stony Brook coach Jim Nagle said, alluding to a 15-14 loss to the No. 9 Cavaliers on March 10. “So I was happy for guys pulling together and getting those stops.”
Still, despite the miscues, UMBC had the ball in the Seawolves’ zone with 22.8 seconds left and a chance to send it into overtime. Nolan flashed to the slot and was open long enough for Frawley to pass him the ball. But the pass bounded to midfield, and the final horn sounded.
Frawley and Nolan accepted blame for the missed opportunity.
“I could have probably made a better pass,” Frawley said. “I just didn’t connect and that was the end of the game.”
Added Nolan: “I just dropped the ball. I took my eye off it and thought about shooting before I caught the ball.”
What is especially galling is that the game was the America East opener for both teams, and UMBC had defeated the Seawolves, 12-9, last season en route to making its first appearance in the conference tournament since 2014. Now the Retrievers (2-5, 0-1 AEC) find themselves behind Stony Brook (2-5, 1-0), No. 1 Albany (6-0, 1-0) and UMassLowell (4-4,1-0) in the America East.
“We came in, and I just don’t think we were focused enough,” Frawley said. “It’s a conference game, andtensions are high. This is our way to get into the tournament, and I just don’t think we came out ready enough. Weweren’tfocused andit really caught upto us and bit us in the behind.” Saturday, 3 p.m.