Slow Starting UMBC Beats Rutgers

from press release

CATONSVILLE, Md.  – The Rutgers men’s lacrosse team jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but a potent UMBC offensive attacked proved to be too much as the Scarlet Knights fell 17-10 to the nationally-ranked Retrievers Saturday afternoon at UMBC Stadium.

Sophomore Kory Kelly (Princeton, N.J.) scored a career-high tying four goals and senior Jeff Rommel (Syracuse, N.Y.) tallied two goals and dished out two assists to lead Rutgers (1-2)

The Retrievers, ranked No. 9 in the latest USILA poll, out-shot the Scarlet Knights 45-35 as they improve to 2-0 on the year. Peet Poillon recorded four goals to pace UMBC.

Mike Dugan (Summit, N.J) scored the first goal of the game just over a minute in and his score was immediately followed by two strikes from Kelly to give Rutgers a 3-0 lead at the 4:44 mark of the first quarter. Alex Hopmann scored UMBC’s only goal of the quarter at the 3:34 mark to cut RU’s lead to two at the end of the first stanza.

Rutgers started off the second quarter hot, as well as Dugan tallied his second goal of the game to push RU’s lead to three (4-1) just over two minutes into the second. UMBC would control the remainder of the quarter though, posting six of the next seven goals, including two from Kyle Wimer. The Retrievers would hold a 7-5 halftime lead.

UMBC would continue its momentum after the intermission, scoring five of the first six goals to begin the third quarter. Rommel netted his first goal of the day with 1:25 left in the third to bring RU to within five (12-7). The Retrievers would put the game out of reach to start the fourth though, scoring four consecutive goals. Brendan Porter (Maplewood, N.J.), Rommel and Kelly would all score late in the fourth, but the Scarlet Knights would get no closer than six goals.

Junior midfielder Justin Pennington (Flemington, N.J.), who led the team with three assists, failed to score for the first time this season.